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 Born and raised in Sweden, of Argentinean parents, 28-year-old José González is a top-ten chart artist and revered troubadour figure. Initially thrust into the global limelight with his debut hit album Veneer and for contributing music to an award-winning ad campaign for Sony, the attention has only intensified with his recent collaboration with UK down tempo duo Zero 7 on their new album The Garden. González provided guest vocals on four of The Garden's tracks, including his own song Crosses. Veteran local musician and singer-songwriter Ben Glaros will open the evening with help from some very special guests: cellist Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan (Jelloslave), saxophonist Michael Ferrier (Electropolis), and violinist Zack Kline (Piper's Crow, Orange Mighty Trio).
Using just his own dexterously finger-picked classical guitar and a captivating voice - part Joao Gilberto, part Nick Drake - Jose's music is as economical as it is seductive; stark but effortlessly melodious songwriting whose confessional, gently provocative lyrics (all sung in perfect English) are, by turns, poignant, intriguing and life-affirming. His work, although mostly original, does include acoustic covers of such hits as "Heartbeats" by his fellow Swedes The Knife, "Love Will Tear Us Apart" by Joy Division, "Born in the U.S.A." and "The Ghost of Tom Joad" by Bruce Springsteen, "Hand On Your Heart" by Kylie Minogue, "Smalltown Boy" by Bronski Beat and "Teardrop" by Massive Attack.
"Mentioning a new artist in the same breath as Nick Drake has become shorthand for anyone with an acoustic guitar who favors melancholy restraint. Such a comparison, however, only hints at the talents of Jose Gonzalez. The Swedish singer-songwriter marries Drake's mournful minimalism to deftly picked, Latino guitar. The results - melodic purity, a mesmeric rhythmic drive and stark emotionalism - are extraordinary."
"Veneer displays an intense yet hushed talent, equally in thrall to the floating drone of post rock as to the elegant finger picking of Bert Jansch..."
-Time Out London
"It's not just the dreamily introspective vocal and minor key melodies, the 11 songs of Veneer are all powered by Gonzales's mazily intricate guitar picking. He cites a mix of Beatles, flamenco, bossa nova and classical as his influences, but it's old Nick who springs to mind...[a] melancholy mood leavened by a very Drake-like fondness for playing cat and mouse with the beat."
"Dark, still, yet oddly powerful elliptical folk songs that suggest Paul Simon's Duncan or John Martyn's Solid Air adrift in Arthur Russell's "World of Echo."
-Mojo Magazine.
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