Last Night

Bohemian Juke Box was eclectic. I was first on, and performed the three songs on my new Ep, Twenty Two. I also tried a brand new track, which will be called either "Pessimistic Me" or "Come to Nothing" (it's jollier than the names suggest.) I also played the 1969 medley again which starts with Bowie's Space Oddity which was great because on one of the walls there is covered with a huge picture of the Apollo 11 Astronauts on the Moon. As well as this I did a few more of my own and the old blues tune "Love in Vain."

I was followed by Arc Vel who was an instrumental electronica artist whose performance featured a projection of wild life footage. I thought it was rather cool

Next up was Z+, a finger style acoustic guitar singer/songwriter. Some really lovely, understated guitar passages and tunes. And he did a fantastic recovery when his guitar string broke, and the guitar he borrowed from the next performer didn’t want to stay in tune. Moments like that make you want to cry when your performing, but he made a good bit of funny entertainment out of it.

Mitch and Murray, another solo singer/songwriter again had some nice acoustic finger style tunes, as well as an endearing persona in the “preamble” to the songs. As he noticed there was something of a running theme to the night, as he, Z+ and I were all performing at the venue for the first time, and trying out at least one song we’d written in the last 24 hours.

The Victoria is a fabulous pub, all original Victorian style (including some great urinals upstairs) and French Burlesque posters. I can’t help but think maybe the nights would be a bit cooler if they were free entry then perhaps people in the main bar downstairs might wonder upstairs for a few songs. As it is the audience, though very welcoming and pleasant, consisted of people the acts had brought with them rather than new listeners for everyone. I blogged about this a little while ago and this has been the first gig in a while I’ve done where the punters pay £4 or something similar to get in, and the performers are required to bring a certain amount of their regular supporters. In all honesty, I think I prefer nights like Acoustic Brew where it’s free in. True they might not always have big audiences, but at least an artists’ regular audience don’t have to pay. I have sometimes wondered if a few of us singer songwriters wouldn't be better off organising a gig in the back garden and inviting our regulars along for a pound a head or something, would that work?

I'm also thinking of doing some kind of "launch" for the EP. The idea would be that I'd play the songs from it, perhaps with a full band arrangement like on the CD rather than solo performances. I'd also invite some other performers to play, maybe comedy as well as music, and if possible I'd organise a few Jam's along the way with some of the blues players from the crossroads that I admire so much. What do you reckon?

Living Room and The Crossroads

This week I've played two gigs in Birmingham.

On Monday I played for the first time at The 15 Minute Club, which takes place at the The Living Room in Birmingham. The basic idea is that every does a 15 minute set of original songs. The night is run by a lady called Rae, who gives it a really cool touch by giving each act a nice little intro and having a chat with them at the end of their set. The venue is really good, and I like the idea of everyone just doing four of their best songs.Also performing were Johnny Hands, a Birmingham based singer songwriter I've performed with before who I really enjoyed, a great bluesy singer called Tara Chinn, a really cool, funky band I didn't catch the name of and Cat Chinn, who unfortunately I mostly missed because I had to leave just as she started up. My set went well, and the audience were very cool. I'll be returning on the 6th of July.

Thursday I again popped along to the Blues Jam at the Crossroads Blues Club. Again I couldn't be there from the start because of teaching guitar lessons before hand, and when I arrived about half an hour into the night it was pretty much full, the busiest I've seen it there in fact. Most of the regulars I really like hearing and playing with were there, including Steve Butt, Ken Stratford, Chickenbone John, Alan Nicholls and Mark Bennett. I played lead on a Rolling Stones song led by Tower of Song owner Tom Martin, then fronted "Matchbox Blues" which seemed to go quite nicely. I was a bit disappointed not to front another song, because I'd got a couple of new ones ready, but with it being such a busy night there had to be a quick turnaround to get everyone heard. After Matchbox I was part of the backing band for a spoken word performer, and then watched while Mark Bennett jammed with a great funk band. This was really cool, and again made the jam night unlike any of the others I've been to there. This is one of the best things about these nights, last time I was there was a kind of Cajun dance feel, this time it had a funk feeling.

Finally I joined Mark Bennett, Alan Nicholls, a bass player, a sax player and the harp guys for two final jamms lead by Mark.

I really enjoy these jam nights, but I'm never sure how well I've played. I find that I play best when I just let go and don't think too much, meaning I'm almost not really listening to what I'm doing, which can be a little scary afterwards when I kind of have no idea what I've just played! To be allowed to play with and alongside these great musicians is always a thrill, and I think it's improving my performance no end.

I'll be doing a couple of songs at Rea River Routes folk night at the Tower of Song in Birmingham tonight.

The tower of song is one of my favourite venues, and Rea River nights are really cool, well run and very laid back and welcoming.

It's free in, so if your around why not pop in? Starts at 8.45

Liverpool 1

Me and the girlfriend visited Liverpool a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time either of us had been there, and we had a really good time. We stayed for three days and did alot of very cool things, although the reason we went in the first place was this man...


Eric Clapton. He was playing at the Echo Arena, which is rather good, like the NIA but exotic seeming because it was in a place I hadn't been before. Maria had got the tickets as a Birthday present, so I'd been waiting since November to be sitting in this concert. Being me, as it was actually about to happen I got a bit blase and prepared for an anti climax.

Probably people reading this will think one of the following things about me liking Eric Clapton, they might say why would someone your age be interested in that, they might say he is boring, they might say he can't play guitar like Steve Vai or Eddie Van Halen or Satriani.

But the thing is, when I caught sight of the man walking onto stage, and realised it was actually him, a few hundred metres away from me, I at once understood why I loved him and his music. He is the reason I decided to do more than just play chords on my guitar, he's opened my ears to so much music, particularly the blues, and he's been an inspiration as a singer and a songwriter.

Needless to say the concert was great. My favourite moment? Probably the solo in Old Love. He started so quietly that the whole arena leaned forward opened mouthed. A couple of minutes later and we were all being forced back against our seats by the notes firing out of his guitar. You might be one of these people who likes your guitar solos to be three notes very very very fast, but nothing talks to me like his guitar playing does.

The funniest moment of the gig was when, during Wonderful Tonight, which should of course been a very tender moment for all the couples in the place, a very very drunk middle aged man was helped up the stairs near me by some stewards. It would have been annoying to be distracted by him, but with cosmic comedy timing he passed me just as Eric sang "it's time to go home now, and I've got an aching head..."

After the concert we decided to go walking. I think really I knew where I was going. Matthew Street. The Cavern. Round the corner, and there it is. The street with the club that helped launch the band that changed music. Just like that. We spent a few minutes watching a band at what we took to be the Cavern Club, but which we later discovered was The Cavern Pub. Either way it was cool in there, and very rammed. Before leaving for this trip I decided I didn't want to just do Beatles things, there has to be more to a massive city like Liverpool than one band. The only Beatles pilgrimage I really wanted to go on involved getting on a mini bus and visiting two houses, one a modest middle class place with a funny road name, and the other on a council estate. But if the trip was good enough for Bob Dylan...

More later

Live Videos from March

Madcap March

The last few weeks have seemed a bit hectic, teaching has taken of a bit more, and I've played at least one gig a week in March, including some turning up at open mics and the like. I've also steadily been loosing my voice, either to just a cold or the start of hay fever, but luckily it hasn't affected my singing, yet.

I've played for the first time at Rea River Roots, which is another night at Birmingham's tower of song, and like the Crossroads Blues club it is a fabulous little gig, well run and supported by a really welcoming regular crowd.

I've also returned to venues such as The Soak, with its lively Birmingham Uni audience. This should be the best gig on the circuit, it's certainly got a big audience of student types who are there either to perform in the open mic or listen to whoever is performing. It's also well run and friendly, but something about the sheer size of the bar means that you can have 30 people giving you all their attention, but still barley hear yourself over the conversations going on round the other end of the pub. Still good to get the chance to play to uni types though, makes me feel a bit old and I only graduated last summer!

This weekend was a good one too, I visited Cambridge for the first time. I got to have a good walk round the place, and very pretty it is too, and seemingly populated by not only very clever, but very attractive people. I'd of fitted right in, if only they did the kind of degrees I was interested in! The gig I played that evening was good too, at a place called The Boathouse by Jesus Lock, right by the river cam (see picture.) A medium sized audience who were great for bantering with. A few people also put their names forward for the mailing list, so hopefully I'll be seeing them again when I return to the City...

This Sunday I'm at another new venue, The Dog in Bearwood, followed the Tuesday after with a return visit to my favourite, The Island Bar in brum. Busy busy busy, but fun that way, hope to see all of you at one of these gigs soon...

The Soak

On Thursday, October 2nd I played at The Soak, in Selly Oak, Birmingham.

I hadn't been to this part of Birmingham much before, let alone played at the night before, which is always jointly exciting (this could be a great, great gig) and scary (what if no ones there, what if the venues nasty, what if the people I've invited are embarrassed for me when they see the place!!!?)

I had to get there first, and this proved not be as easy as I might have thought. I'd invited a good friend and house mate to come with me and arranged to pick him up from a theatre in Wolverhampton five minutes away from were we live, and then go straight to the gig. So, at the appointed time, I drove to the theatre. It was timed beautifully, just as I got there the audience were leaving. I parked up and waited. And waited. After a while I went into the theatre. My girlfriend (who works at the theatre) was on the phone, so I asked one of her co workers if she had seen my house mate. She didn't think he had been there. I put credit on my phone and called him. And woke him up, he was in our house asleep. I called him names and went back home to get him, then he and I, with my girlfriend following in her car, went to the gig.

The Birmingham new road is rubbish. That's all I want to say about the journey.

The Soak itself is a really nice pub, right next to Birmingham Uni. There was a match on TV and it seemed to me to be very full, although the promoter said it was usually busier. The night was open mic, and I caught a couple of cool acts before I played. The pub was very full, but the area where the music was happening was quite small, and so while I was playing it felt as though only about 30 per cent of the place were listening, although when I went to the bar later I noticed the music could be heard all over the room.

The gig was good, I enjoyed it. Because of the match and the size of the place there was alot of background conversation etc from all over the room and it was pretty hard to hear myself whilst playing, but I'm pretty confident everyone who listened enjoyed me, which is what we want! The night was well run, and again free....payment was a drink, which I may case has to be a coke, sadley.

The Nelson Open Mic

Last Wednesday, 24th September, I drove down to the open mic at the Nelson Inn, Burtnwood. I'd been teaching a guitar lesson somewhere between where I live and Burntwood, so when I finished I went straight to the Nelson, using my brand new and rather exciting A to Z. I'd never been to Burntwood before, and very pretty it is too, although the very narrow and dark country roads just by where the pub is were just a little bit worrying when added to the normal pre gig nerves. I found the place OK, and walked in to a piratically empty room, where I was approached by a member of staff, who seeing my guitar said, "oh you must be Mike then."

I wasn't Mike, so I told him so, and it turned out he meant Mark anyway. I wasn't Mark either, but a duo called My Mate Mark were hosting the open mic, and I think he was expecting them to have turned up by now. My Mate Mark are two guys called Mark, one of whom, Mark Bennett, I had met at the crossroads blues jam (see a few posts back) When Mark and Mark arrived I had a good chat with them both, then Mark Bennett kicked the night off with a solo set. By this time my girlfriend had also navigated her way down the scary dark country roads.

The Marks played solo sets, and performed as a duo, and I did two sets of three and four songs. It was acoustic, and I played mostly my own songs plus a couple of covers I was getting ready for my next gig. The gig was cool, when we started there wasn't a lot of people in the place, but they were listening quite intently. As the night went on, more people came in, but the level of conversation increased more than the level of attention to the music! During my second set, I got the feeling the vocal mic was feed backing nastily, which was a bit off putting, but apparently nobody else noticed.

I really enjoyed My Mate Mark by the way, they had an interesting and diverse set, including a cool jazz/blues take on summertime, plus a really unique take on a supergrass song, Mary. Have a look at their myspace www.myspace.com/mymatemark