EXPRESSWAY
Curated by the Academicians’ Room and byNWR
Thursday 23 May 2019 7 - 11.30pm
The Academicians' Room, The Keeper's House, Royal Academy of Arts
£20
Friends of the RA book first
In collaboration with
‘EXPRESSWAY’ will once again take over the Keeper’s House for an Americana themed evening of music, film, and food curated by the Academicians’ Room and byNWR.
For one night only, cult film director of award-winning film Drive, and founder of byNWR, Nicolas Winding Refn, opens the doors to the Keeper's House with an Americana themed evening.
Nicolas will introduce the evening with a special screening followed by acoustic sets from Black Deer Festival musicians, our other collaborators for the evening.
The Academicians' Room, our private members’ club, will be transformed into a bluegrass lounge, with music from the early 1920s to the 50s to present day and DJs will take over the Keeper's House restaurant on the lower ground floor.
Cocktails and classic drinks will be flowing from the bar to the Keeper’s House garden, and themed food will be available to purchase – all infused with a hearty dose of country and western influence.
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This event is open to the public, members of the Academicians’ Room, Friends of the RA and RA250 Friends and RA250 Supporters.
Members of the Academicians' Room, please call 020 7300 8090 to book. Friends of the RA can book by phone or online.
The Bluegrass Situation Lounge
The Academicians' Room
The Academicians’ Room, our private members’ club, will be transformed into a bluegrass lounge – telling the story of one of the earliest forms of country music. The best bluegrass musicians in the country will be with us to help tell the tale – including ground-breaking all-female band, Midnight Skyracer.
The evening will be MC-ed by the award-winning author and Guardian journalist, Emma John, whose new book, Wayfaring Stranger: A Musical Journey In The American South is published on May 23 2019. A classical violinist, John has spent the past two years travelling the South uncovering the secrets of bluegrass music, bringing her trademark blend of warmth, wit and infectious enthusiasm to a genre that begs to be better known.
Film screening and Black Deer acoustic sessions
The Sir Hugh Casson Room
Nicolas and Jeff Boardman from byNWR will introduce the evening with a special film screening before the floor is handed over to the Black Deer Festival musicians for an evening of acoustic sessions.
Celebrating the pioneers and artists of American roots music, Black Deer Festival founders, Gill Tee and Deborah Shilling, will introduce musicians Amy Montgomery, Jarrod Dickenson and Noble Jacks before they take the stage long into the night.
Americana themed food and DJs takeover
Belle Shenkman Bar and The Keeper’s House Restaurant
With BBQ, Buffalo wings and classic Mac ‘n’ Cheese on our menu, you'll be treated to a hearty dose of mid-west America. At the bar, dip into speciality cocktails including the Lynchburg Lemonade, the Gin Rickey and a Berry Clobber Punch – all available to purchase for one night only.
Throughout the night a host of DJs are ready to take you on a journey through the years of Country music. Amongst the line up are Señor Mick, from Whiskey Preachin, as well as Hank JD Sleek and his dance partner, who will have toes tapping and soles shuffling across the dance floor.
byNWR
Presented in 2018 by Nicolas Winding Refn, byNWR is a revolutionary website, providing an opportunity to experience the rare, the forgotten or the unknown in an unpredictable and unconventional way.
The platform is set up like a publication, with quarterly volumes of original content divided into three monthly chapters, each of those chapters having been inspired by an accompanying fully restored film. One of the key concepts of byNWR is that it is free of charge.
Black Deer Festival
Held in the garden of England, the award-winning Black Deer Festival offers a three-day celebration of Americana, country and western music.
The founders, Gill Tee and Deborah Shilling, have produced and directed much-loved festivals with music legends including Bob Dylan, The Eagles and Neil Young. Their lifelong love affair with country music and the authentic Americana aesthetic offers a compelling blend of originality, experience and passion, shaping Black Deer into an exciting and emerging force on the UK festival scene.