Souldiggers

Perry sideman to open for Geoff Achison Chester — Australian musician Geoff Achison and his band, The Souldiggers, will be playing Bodles Opera House in Chester on Sunday, Feb. 17. John Reddan, Bill Perry’s sideman for the last few years, is opening the show. Perry, a Chester native and premier bluesman, died last summer. “Rumor has it that John and his brother Chris are launching the Reddan Brothers Band here that night,” said Bodles owner Pat Mazo. “It should prove to be awesome! Geoff was here last August and I was totally impressed with his talent, but more than that, he is a showman. He does something that a lot of musicians don’t ever figure out — he entertains his audience. I was blown away and I see a lot of shows.” Headliner Achison has a reputation as a “guitarist’s guitarist.” Equally adept at acoustic or electric styles, his style can be intricate or feature high-energy explosiveness. He has developed his own sound without the aid of pedals or gadgets, and fans say you can recognise an Achison riff when you hear it. His soulful voice evokes comparisons to Joe Cocker, Warren Haynes, and Paul Weller. He has toured regularly around the globe and has won honors on three continents. He has shared stages and open shows with artists like Jorma Kaukonen and Hot Tuna, John Mayall, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Hubert Sumlin, Levon Helm, and John Mayer as well as top Aussies “Dutch” Tilders, Phil Manning, Jeff Lang, and Tommy Emmanuel. The Chester show will also be Achison’s New York release party for his new live effort, “Souldiggin’ CD,” which was was cited by jambands.com as one of the best of the year. Bodles is located at 39 Main St. in Chester. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12.50 in advance, $15 the day of show. For more information or reservations call 469-4595.