From New Orleans to Wales, the Truckstops in Newbury

Truckstop Honeymoon are, most probably, the most entertaining duo you have never heard of.

The husband and wife team of Mike and Katie West have toured across three continents with four kids and a truck load of songs which tell stories about the strangeness of everyday life. Their music combines elements of bluegrass, music hall jazz, and straight up rock’n’roll delivered with banjo, guitar and upright bass. They recently completed a tour opening for Frank Turner.

They started out in New Orleans but their home and recording studio were washed away by hurricane Katrina while they were gigging in Florida. After a few months of living out of their van, they took their young family to the midwest music mecca of Lawrence, Kansas. Here their performing and recording careers flourished.

While touring in Wales their children wanted to know “why they can’t we live somewhere cool like Wales?”. So, they sold off and gave away all their possessions taking only what they could carry with them and moved to north Wales. Shortly after that move ACE Space trustee Stephen Ottner saw them at the Grand Theatre, Porthcawl, and determined to bring them to ACE Space.

As well as touring their own music Mike and Katie have produced over two hundred recordings for other artists out of their studio, The 9th Ward Pickin’ Parlor. They are recipients of the Phoenix award for Lifetime Achievement in the Arts, Big Easy Entertainment Awards (New Orleans) and Off Beat Magazine Best of the Beat Awards. Their 2017 album “Big Things and Little things” was chosen for a Best Album of the Year by The Music.co.au writers poll (Australia).

Truckstop Honeymoon will be at ACE Space next Saturday, December 10, doors open 7.30pm for an 8pm start. Tickets are £14 and available from www.WeGotTicket.com or direct by contacting events@acespace.org.uk or 078911 76940