Music
Press
"Rupert Wates has a great, distinctive voice and shows great control in his ability to project the feeling of travelling across America...If you need something to listen to during a road trip, you should consider Rupert Wates". (Marty Bormolini) - The University of the Pacific
'In his second solo album 'Coast To Coast: Postcards From America', Londoner Rupert Wates takes a good long look at America and tells listeners what's on his mind.
Wates' voice is smooth and full throughout the album, almost reminiscent of Paul Simon, and the accompanying instruments can be both unobtrusive and boastful, depending on the style of the song.
The real strength in 'Coast To Coast', however, is the writing of Wates himself. While not quite a cynic, Wates certainly has problems with what he's seeing as he's visiting America.
In the song 'A Friend Called Jesus', for example, Wates sings of the perversion of American Christianity to suit the country's war efforts.
However, the song is so light and bouncy that listeners might not notice the message towards the end of the tune.
'I'm The Guy' is a sardonic number containing a bit of sexual innuendo, written from the viewpoint of President Bush. The song gives a rather scathing portrayal of the Bush administration and is all the more meaningful because Wates sees the problems in this country so clearly even though he's just passing through'. - West Virginia University
Rupert Wates' third CD "Dear Life" is one of the most significant and compelling recordings of the decade. The common thread of human mortality weaves the entire work into a musical tapestry that teeters between life and death, hope and despair, peace and war, love and rage.
Rupert's mastery of the guitar is unparalleled, and when coupled with his high tenor and authoritative British accent, a musical collage unfolds with selections ranging from the Jazz masterpiece, "Fairy Tales" about a mother's protective love, to the swampy "Please God" which questions a deity's role in natural disasters. The first three salvoes will leave any compassionate listener embarrassed to be part of our warring, ecologically indifferent human race, only to be uplifted by the fourth entry "I Dream" which will resurrect even the most discouraged heart...The most remarkable piece of this puzzle is that Evan Brubaker captured ten songs live in the studio in one weekend...This project is a must listen for every concerned citizen of the world and a musical triumph for the remarkably talented Rupert Wates" (Catesby Jones).
- Catesby Jones, Songwriter
'(A) writer who makes you think while he entertains. On his new Cd 'Dear Life', British musician Rupert Wates manages that tricky tightrope with great skill, offering 11 tunes unafraid to pose the tough questions about the here and now' (Chris Kocher, Pressconnects.com). - Chris Kocher
"Wow...An extraordinary guitarist and singer...Rupert Wates is amazingly wonderful. Imagine the Moody Blues unplugged. That's Wates" (T Mannis, www.rogersparkbench.blogspot) - Rogers Park Bench
'"Coast To Coast" is full of pleasant, NPR-Circuit songs that put the focus squarely on the vocals and the lyrics. The instrumentation floats by, supporting the melody, but never calling attention to itself...Wates is a fine musician. His piano playing is clear and free of filigree. His acoustic guitar serves as a solid underpinning of his songs.' (Bill Kop, Musoscribe.com) - Bill Kop
"Remember when Joni, Jackson, James and Neil lived on the canyon? That's exactly what you get with Rupert Wates...Unforgettable melodies are in no short supply throughout Wates's breezy audio travelogue. Yet it's the little elements that make "Coast To Coast" special: the funky Fender Rhodes and Beach Boys' inspired harmonies on "And The Wave Will Sing" and the warm slide licks...on "Goodbye To The Old School". Long may he run"
(Tom Semioli) - Short Takes
"Wates shines when he works with his "Postcards From America", spitting out the catchy twangs of folk-country and western flavor. Crooning like a young Warren Zevon, "Goodbye To The Old School" tells the anguished aftermath of a small-town school shooting. "(The Ballad Of) Killer Weed" is more violent still, spinning an engrossing tale of drug deals gone wrong. The tune is appropriately reminiscent of the Carter family's "Juke Box Blues" and recalls Johnny Cash's stories of men gone wrong. Also like the Carters, Wates explores the Christian culture of country music. "A Friend Called Jesus" is a jam-filled highlight...with jovial guitar and soulful background vocalists. Finally, the bluesy "I'm The Guy" balances Wates' trained sound with playful lyrics, satirizing the United States government as "Big Brother" through the frame of a piano-driven love song.
Rupert Wates is undoubtedly talented. "Coast To Coast" proves through its complex storytelling a classy melodic sensibility" (Michael Merline, 'The Badger Herald). - badgerherald.com
"Currently on the Britsound turntable is the second album from singer-songwriter Rupert Wates, "Coast To Coast"...Apart from the many songwriting awards Wates has garnered in the last two years, even more impressive are his two solo albums, the most recent of which is nothing less than a delight to listen to. At times sounding like a mixture between Nick Drake and Richard Thompson, Wates' songs are acoustic observations and stories of life in America from the perspective of a cultural outsider. These are songs crafted with care and imbued with sincerity and conviction...This is an album to be savored, not rushed. Let the magic gently seep in." (Rob Quicke) - Britsound Radio
"Memorable songs...from a singer who sings like he means it" (Rob Adams) - The Scottish Herald
Discography
"Sweet Or Bitter Wine" (2005) (Mainstem)
"Coast To Coast" (2007) (Bitemusic Limited)
"Dear Life" (2008) (BiteMusic Limited)
"Joe's Cafe" (2010) (BiteMusic Limited)
"At The Losers' Motel" (2012) (BiteMusic Limited)
RADIO PLAY
RADIO PLAY 2009: Danny Watson Folk Show, 2MAX FM New South Wales Australia; Radio Upper Galilee 105.3FM Israel; Mojo Alt, 94.1 FM Radio 2, Skopje Macedonia; Radio Zusa, FM 95.5, Luneberg, Germany; Britsound Radio, WPSC 88.7FM, Wayne NJ; CJLX, FM 92.3, Ontario, Canada; Barely Darker Than Air, WHUS Storrs CT
RADIO PLAY 2010: Mark Watkins Radio Show, Blast 1386, Thames University Reading UK; Danny Watson Folk Show, 2MAX FM 91.3 New South Wales Australia; Grassroots, AusFolk Radio, FM 107.9, New South Wales Australia; Just Us Folk, AM 1380 Ontario Canada; Barley Darker Than Air, WHUS Storrs CT; Radio Zusa, Luneberg Germany; WESU 88.1 FM, Middletown CT; CountryMusic24 Radio, Nuremberg Germany; "General Eclectic", WCVF FM Fredonia NY; Acoustic Planet, CHES 101.5 FM Erin, Ontario Canada; Just Folking Around, WHUS 91.7FM Storrs CT; Music You Can't Hear On The Radio, WPRB at 103.3FM Princeton NJ; The Folk Show NCPR
Photos
Bio
Real name: RUPERT WATES
"A prime figure in American music" (www.acousticmusic.com)
"This is one gifted s.o.b...If you're not hip to this guy, you're missing out" (Folk And Acoustic Music Exchange)
"An inspirational artist" (Leith FM Radio 98.8 FM Scotland)
"A delight to listen to" (Britsound Radio NJ)
"A new and unique songwriter-musician already in the front ranks...Trust me, Rupert Wates is an exceedingly rare talent" (Mark Tucker, Folk And Acoustic Music Exchange)
"A songwriter of the very highest quality" (Stefan Schmoe, Online Musik Magazine, Germany)
"(His) songs will go straight to your heart" (Empty Nest House Concerts, NJ)
"A ridiculously talented musician" (Kitchen Sink House Concerts AZ)
London born, I moved permanently to the US in 2006. Music has been the center of my life since I left college. In the early nineties I signed a publishing deal with Eaton Music and wrote songs in all kinds of styles. These days I call my material acoustic, melodic art-folk. This means that what you get from me are strong melodies, genuine feeling, and lyrics that often address contemporary issues. I tour as much as I can and prefer smaller, more intimate venues, where the audience is up close and good musicianship is all. I play between 150 and 170 live shows a year, in venues in every state in America and Canada.
On the AUDIO page of this site you can hear EIGHT of my SONGS, all recorded live in the studio. On many of these recordings, I'm joined by a rhythm section of bass and percussion. I put all my recordings out under my own name, Rupert Wates. My CD 'Dear Life' was named 'one of the best Cds of 2008' by the Indie Acoustic Project (www.indieacoustic.com), while my 2007 CD 'Coast To Coast' was voted one of the TOP 10 ALBUMS of 2007 by indie radio programme Britsound Radio, along with albums by Radiohead and The Arctic Monkeys. Through 2008 'Coast To Coast' was on LIGHT TO MEDIUM ROTATION on over 250 LOCAL COLLEGE RADIO STATIONS all over the States (see list below under Radio Play).
Between 2007 and 2012 I have received close to THIRTY SONGWRITING AWARDS. In 2007 alone, my song 'After The Rains' received SIX AWARDS (details on the AWARDS page of my website www.rupertwates.com).
Wherever I go, in the studio or onstage, a beautiful and weathered hand-made Lowden acoustic guitar is never far away. Got a small room with a good natural acoustic and a listening audience? I'll fill it. Whatever the gig, my guitar and my amp still fit in the trunk and however long it takes I'll be there.
"Remember when Joni, Jackson, James and Neil lived in the canyon? That's exactly what you get with Rupert Wates...Long may he run" (Minor 7th Online)
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