November date

The next guest at Eastbourne Lamb Folk Club is Dana Robinson on Wednesday, November 4 (upstairs at the Lamb Inn, High Street, Old Town, Eastbourne, BN21 1HH; £8 cash on the door; doors open 7.30pm; music from 8pm).

Spokesman Nick Cant said: “Richard Dana Robinson was born in Eugene, Oregon in 1961, and raised in the Bay Area of California. His childhood and teen years were infused with the music of The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, Eric Clapton, Neil Young and the popular singer-songwriters of the 70s.

“Dana took up the guitar at ten years old and began writing songs emulating the sounds he was absorbing. In 1977, Dana spent his sophomore year of high school in London and was exposed to the punk scene and prog rock bands of the time, which became an undercurrent to his attitude and musical style. “From 79 to 83 Dana hitchhiked relentlessly across the western United States, restless and looking for a place to take root. In 84 after a summer spent busking around Europe, he found a home in Northampton, Massachusetts. Dana took a job cooking at The Iron Horse, an intimate, 100-seat music club.

“There he witnessed performances from some of the great songwriters and musicians of the time. Artists such as Shawn Colvin, Loudon Wainwright, Bill Staines, Martin Simpson and Doc Watson provided live examples of how one person, armed with a guitar, could move an audience and make a living doing it. In 1986 Dana released his debut recording, Threshold Music.

“In the 25 years from 1995 to 2020, Dana, with his wife, Susan joining him to become a duo in 2002, recorded a dozen albums, played thousands of concerts, and toured over a million miles across the United States and Great Britain. Their music has been featured in Ken Burns’ documentaries (Our National Parks – 2009, The Dust Bowl – 2012), as well as a number of small, indie films. In this time, they were guests at the Lamb Folk Club.

“Dana’s songwriting expresses a reverence for nature and the landscape. Inspired by contemporary writers such as Robert Macfarlane, Barry Lopez, and Annie Dillard, Dana’s writing captures places in time with uncanny detail to reflect truths and connection with the forces that shape our lives. Dana’s lyrics strive to remind us that we have agency in the world despite the daunting and shifting challenges that life presents.

“Dana’s sound embodies the spirit of places that he has lived: the expansiveness of the Western States, the intimacy of New England, the passion of Great Britain’s traditional ballads and the grit of southern Appalachia.

“Dana incorporates elements of old-time and country blues with rock and folk sensibilities. Equally adept at American flat picking and English finger-style, Dana often combines them to create a rhythmic style uniquely his own. Dana’s fiddle playing is influenced by the Round Peak-style from North Carolina.

“2026 marks the release of Dana’s 14th full-length studio recording, The Sound of the Word. Six years in the making, The Sound of the Word merges contemporary songwriting and Southern old-time music into one, cohesive body of work. Influenced by bands such as The Horse Flies, Wilco, and Shooglenifty, Dana leans into expansive arrangements while maintaining his intimate songwriting style. While many of the songs speak to the troubling issues of our times, the material always circles back to the wonder and healing power of the natural world.”