Craig Hughes

In the late 1980s and '90s, Scots-born Craig Hughes paid his dues as a musician and songwriter playing in alternative rock bands, while at the same time developing his acoustic blues chops as a street musician. Lots of miserable, cold, wet busking from Glasgow through Central Scotland to the Edinburgh Festival and back. While kicking his heels between bands in 2005, the success of a couple of solo acoustic gigs led to a support slot with Tony McPhee of The Groundhogs and the opportunity to record a demo EP in Dublin. The demo was well received and led to gigs in the USA as well as at venues and Americana promotions across Scotland. Over the last couple of years, Craig has shared the stage with many of the leading names in alternative blues and roots music from the UK and around the world. In 2008 Craig began hosting That Devil Music, a successful monthly alt.blues/roots gig in Glasgow, switching to individual promotions in late 2010, with future plans including tours and a festival. Craig's festival appearances to date include Bloom'N'Blues, Altus, Arkansas U.S.A. (2006, 2007, 2010), The Oxjam Ashton Lane Folk Festival (Glasgow, 2007), The Glasgow Jazz Festival (Blues On The River, 2009, 2010), Fest For A Fiver (Glasgow, 2010) and Record Store Day (Stirling, 2010, 2011). Craig has received generous support from local radio in Scotland and online. Since May 2009 he has performed live in the studio and been interviewed several times for The Switchback on Sunny Govan FM in Glasgow, as well as for Celtic Music Radio. Celtic Music Radio also recorded and broadcast a live performance by Craig at Paisley Arts Centre in March 2010. Craig's considerable reputation as a live performer has been bolstered by excellent online reviews (initially from celebrated fellow alt.blues artist Dave Arcari on his Rock Radio.co.uk Blues On The Road blog; most recently from Americana UK). In 2011 Craig was the featured performer throughout a two-hour edition of Edinburgh-based internet-TV show The Scottish Connection. Craig's debut album is Pissed Off, Bitter And Willing To Share, which was listed by Canada's Blues Underground Network as British Blues Album Of The Year 2009, and placed at number 6 in their overall Top 25 Albums Of The Year. In addition, the album has picked up excellent reviews from UK national music press (Guitar & Bass Magazine, Blues Matters!), music websites such as Loud Horizon, Blues In The Northwest and Still Gigging, and French website Paris-Move. The album has gained international airplay (across the EU, USA, Canada, Croatia, Macedonia etc). Other releases include the EP Broke, Lonely and Guilty and the Graveyard Full Of Blues project, a split release with Sleepy Eyes Nelson featuring a mini-album from each artist. Craig's half of the project, Pennies On My Eyes, was nominated for a 2011 Scottish New Music Award (Jazz/Blues Recording Of The Year). All releases are on Channel Nowhere (Graveyard Full Of Blues is a joint-release with Cheap Wine Records). Since 2006, Craig has provided original music for several short films and video projects, as well as the soundtrack for the Scottish BAFTA nominated feature film, Stix and Stanes (2010) and additional music via his production company Channel Nowhere for the feature film A Mug's Game (2012). He has also acted and served as technical crew in several of these productions. Most recently, Craig co-produced and played guitar on Ten Fires, the second album by alt-country/Americana performer Jim Dead, and is also now playing lead guitar for heavy psych-rock band Dog Moon Howl.