Drawing on the great enthusiasm which many famous musicians have for the poet Rimbaud, the Foundation has presented a number of concerts and events under the Rock for Rimbaud strand, featuring some fantastic musicians and providing platforms for talented up-and-coming artists too. The Foundation aims to develop its Rock for Rimbaud strand as an important platform for the presentation of new live music acts, and the intention is that concerts will feature a range of styles including Rock, Alt Country, Punk, Indie and World music.
As well as giving audiences the chance to experience fantastic live performance, Rock for Rimbaud intends to use great music to mobilise support for the arts, reconnecting music fans with a radical and activist role, and getting younger people actively involved as volunteers and citizens.
Click here to read the Rock for Rimbaud Manifesto (58KB PDF) and join the movement now by emailing us on info@rimbaudverlaine.org
In perhaps the most spectacular of its Rock for Rimbaud events so far, the Foundation presented this marvellous concert in the spirit of American rebellion and discovery. An evening of American folk, rock and alternative country music featured the legendary slide guitar player Preston Reed and the stunning alt country singer Diana Jones, performing songs inspired by the Appalachia. Young Americana talent will also be present on stage in the form of The Mad Dalton, a band from Northern Ireland, performing Americana music inspired by the poet Arthur Rimbaud. This stunning event, captured on film, established a high-quality template for future events presented under the Foundation’s Rock for Rimbaud strand.
One of the most influential guitarists of the past quarter-century, Preston Reed invented integrated percussive guitar playing in the late 1980’s, revolutionising the way the acoustic guitar is played and inspiring generations of musicians around the world. ‘Spectacular... the best one-man show this reviewer has seen since Bruce Springsteen’ Irish Independent
Diana Jones is an award-winning singer-songwriter based in Nashville. Her recent release, Museum of Appalachia Recordings, is a collection of songs that evoke Diana’s love of old-time Appalachian music handed down to her by her grandfather. ‘Diana Jones is one of the best songwriters I have heard in a long, long time.’ Steve Earle