Music from across the pond at Otterton Mill

I thought Budleigh Salterton was the only town in East Devon which had a transatlantic link with our American cousins, but I've been looking at Otterton Mill's summer music programme. You might have seen that the village of Otterton, just a few miles upstream from Budleigh, has a long-established twinning link with Vieux, in Normandy. However from a glance at their website you might conclude that Mill owners Caroline and Simon Spiller could have a more obvious claim for this beautiful village to be twinned with a US community.


Nashville, Tennessee, is a clear contender, and it was from that centre of the country music industry otherwise known as 'Music City, USA' that acclaimed singer/songwriter Kim Richey came on 3 June to give a sell-out concert at the Mill. It was her first visit to the Mill, which has become one of the UK's leading roots music venues, hosting dozens of world class acoustic performances each year.

Most weeks, usually on Thursday nights, Otterton Mill welcomes exceptional musicians from the realms of folk, blues, jazz, country, Americana and the classics. The next concert is on Friday 2 July 2010 and features Tipitina, a Preston-based trio whose music is they say "rooted firmly in New Orleans." Tickets: £10.50.

Then the following week, on Thursday 8 July sees the return of Brooks Williams, from Boston, MA described by the Mill as one of the finest singer/songwriters on the acoustic circuit who for 23 years has been wowing audiences world-wide with his mix of blues and Gospel-inspired finger-style guitar, soulful songwriting and pearly singing. Tickets: £11.00.

A week later on Thursday 15 July a second visitor from Nashville is singer/songwriter Briana Lynn who they say "delivers emotionally-injected, rootsy songs with hints of blues, soul, folk and country." Tickets: £10.00

Another US-based performer on Thursday 12 August 2010 is Seattle country-soul sensation Rachel Harrington who is making her second visit to the Mill. Tickets: £11.50.

There are lots more lively music events at Otterton during the summer, including Budleigh Salterton-based Ian Briggs, revered not only as "quite simply one of the best blues harmonica players in the world" but also for playing with the legendary Yardbirds and Eric Clapton in the 60s. For the full line-up and to book tickets click on http://www.ottertonmill.com/music/music-night-listings/

The Mill music nights always feature menus of food based on top quality, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. Meals are served from 6.00 pm, and the music starts at 8.00 pm. Ticket prices shown cover the music only.