The Fox and The Tump

       No, not a new booser, but two of several  stops on the Mac Awe on Tour Tour this week, with a third at Bedworth Folk Festival on Friday night.

    On Monday last I dropped into The Fox at Attleborough, a pleasant suburb of Nuneaton,  to sample the musical talent on show there, and jam a few blues. I had plucked up courage to give my C harp a blow during a Bo Carter Blues. Until John Neal produced a table top full of them and proceeded to work his way expertly through the lot.  ( What is the collective name for a plethora of Blues harmonicas? A moan? A howl? -Discuss).

 

    The assembled company ran expertly through the usual eclectic mix (there's that word again) of covers and originals, with extraordinary dexterity and a broad range of instruments. We had Blues, Country, Traditional Folk and contemporary. We had Ralph McTell and Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis, Bobby Womack and Dylan. And, besides that row of harmonicas, we had acoustic and electric bass guitars, mandolin, banjo, an autoharp, percussion and a plethora of finely decorated, beautifully played acoustic guitars. Sometimes individually picked and strummed. Sometimes played in tandem, sometimes even the whole mini-orchestra joining in. There wasn't an audience as such-this session goes on with vibrant pub life unfolding all around it-but we did have periodic applause, and some people leaving thanked us as they left, for the entertainment.

    I opened my account with another Bo Carter Blues-"All Round Man," which the six piece Rock Parrot used to do, when times were a little less politically correct. Still have a scratchy recording of it somewhere. I cleaned it up a little and left some of the dirtier verses out, or bowdlerised them. The "band " played merrily away behind me (actually-in front of me) and it sounded timelessly good. Later I did "Need Your Love So Bad," "Sorry Feeling Blues " (One of Bo Carters rare clean ones--without the Harp-) and " All Over Now."

     Thursday night I went into Coventry, to The Humber Hotel, where a good crowd of musicians had gathered for a jolly good singaround. Again, many  genres of unplugged music were  represented. We had the instrumental "Ashokan Farewell" and "Need Your Love So Bad " from Cheryl. Nigel Ward fiddled away and gave us " The Derby Ram " and an arrangement of Cold Haily Windy Night, with  a whole lot of other tunes chucked in. Whispering Campbell McKee was in typically plaintive mood, with some very sad songs. Cousin Simon and his mate sounded good together and did a mix of self-penned and covered songs about Good Old Boys, Bad Old Boys and Crystal Meths Distilleries from Kentucky. or Tennessee. Or was it both? Or Selly Oak?

 

     On which subject, fellow Sagittarian Rob Oakey ( he looked worried when I said that) continued an argument we'd had about him saying he did no Blues by playing a couple. He also did "Kathy's Song,"-with that glorious verse which haunts all songwriters about wasting time straining to make words rhyme. It seemed a night for apposite subject matter. Mick Smith did a few instrumentals including a very interesting arrangement of "Anji". And a song about being rude in Hawai. But "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out " is a song I've played and listened to a lot lately and is close to my heart at the moment. Mick accompanied his two lady friends on " Room Up in The Sky" " Summertime" and some other 20th Century classics.

 

    A lady I know only as Christine sang a few songs including "Last Thing On My Mind"-another classic. I did one of mine-"Down Our Street" (which everyone now knows as
" The Di Di Song,"  Billy Bragg's " Between The Wars",  "Black Velvet Band" and "Vigilante Man" Trying to cover as wide a range as possible,  reflecting the eclectic nature of the evening.

   Friday night ,I spent at Bedworth Folk Festival.  I confess, I found it emotionally very hard. because  I have always loved my time at BFF and was so looking forward to doing two sets there over this weekend. One in the Rugby Club and one in The Civic Hall. Up to a fortnight ago, the set list was written and rehearsals had gone really well. Things then imploded, and the rest is now history. We had to cancel.  I am so grateful to Malc Gurnham though, for giving me back at least some dignity by encouraging me to do a little spot between Daisybell and The Old Un's on Friday. " Bring It On Home," "Need Your Love So Bad ," and "All Over Now." With a scratch band comprised of good friends, playing behind me. Thanks guys. That meant a lot to me.

    Thereafter, though I tried to hang on to the party spirit, my ailing  Mojo was well and truly shot, I enjoyed both halves of The Old Uns' thoughtfully rehearsed set, though felt for them, as, struck down by The Lurgy, they were deprived of one and a half vocalists. ( You only had to ask...) I did something I rarely do-I went home early then and did not stay for the remainder of the evening. Oh well. I'm sure with Bill and Keith in charge, it was brilliant.

All The Good Times

      Having spent yesterday morning successfully chasing and photographing steam trains,  I drove direct from Rugby station  to Bedworth. To The Civic Hall. Where, for the second Saturday in a row, I was able to rejoin a company of good friends to perform in the part of the Foyer known colloquially as the Goldfish Bowl.  The objective being  to publicise the impending Bedworth Folk Festival. By singing, handing out fliers and generally having a bit of a good time.

    A slightly different cast list this week. No Dave Parr, John Meechan or Phil Benson.  Malc And Gill,  Dave Webb, Des Patalong, John Kearney, Dave and  and Julia Taylor,  John Morris. and myself were joined by additional recruits from the Coventry Songwriter's Circle-John Neal, Jan Richardson    Jon Harrington and  Katherine Fear.

     Once again the startled diners and passers-by were regaled by traditional or  self-penned numbers and in John Morris's case, some Music Hall songs of an operatic quality. Sung  in a timbre that shook the windows of Greggs, down in the Town Square. What an extraordinarily good  voice that man has!

 

    I'd last seen John and Dave Taylor at Banbury Folk Festival. It was good to hear again, Dave's version of " My Old Man's a Dustman, " delivered in a very passable Bob Dylan style. This combination was highly amusing. It was good also to see and hear John Neal, another local musician who hosts The Fox sessions on Monday nights.  I've persuaded him to do a couple at NFC on December 3rd. John Kearney mixed up the sublime and ridiculous, as he often does, with a song about Remembrance paired with the divine "Jolly Boys." For which, apparently, I am the inspiration.Katherine and  Jan sang like Nightingales. Katherine accompanied at times by Jon on blues harp. A mix of the songs that have made them what they are today. Some new-ish. A cover or two. Some I'd heard before.

      As you can see, there was a certain amount of Photo-bombing going on. Dave, Malc and Gill stuck to mostly traditional material, but as always took us round the world and back in doing so.  You can see Jan celebrating this in the background. Des shantied away uproariously, and with window-pane-wobbling volume. His racous shout of "WE'RE!" in the chorus of "South Australia" made an old lady sipping soup opposite lose a spoonful.

     I did "On Raglan Road," "Peggy Gordon," and two of my own: "If I were a Goat," and "On Bedworth Bank."

   

      That session turned out to be the best part of the day. Things for me got progressively worse thereafter. I drove on to nearby Nuneaton, to watch "The Boro's" death slide out of the Vanarama Conference continue apace. Boro' lost another three points and I also discovered there that I had lost my favourite Bronx Hat (Not a lucky one: Nuneaton Boro/Town don't do Luck). After half time I lost a further tooth, stupidly partaking of some chewing gum. It's not as if I have enough left to looshh. ( I mean "lose").  Just keep sticking those pins in the Ju Ju dolly, chaps. It's really working wonders.

   

The Show must go on

Indeed it must.  Maybe not the usual show, during a period when BPS are having one of its self-inflicted “rest periods.” But, on the premise of use it or lose it, I got back onto the horse again Saturday and last night, and went out singing. Solo.

     Saturday I spent busking with other mates to help promote the upcoming Bedworth Folk Festival. It's good to hear that tickets are selling so well for this event, but no excuse for not getting together and slinging a few tunes out at the startled diners of Beduff. This time, not from the Arctic wastes of the Market Hall, but from the cosier interior of the Foyer of The Civic Hall itself. Opposite the restaurant. Using a compact, (fully working) and effective P.A. thoughtfully provided by the Centre. Nice one.

    There, I joined Malc Gurnham, Gill Gilsenan, Des Patalong, Dave Webb, Phil Benson Dave Parr and a still slightly jet-lagged John Meechan, to demonstrate what the good citizens of Bedrock could be missing on the 28^th 29^th and 30^th November. In clutches of twos and threes, we did our stuff, with some erm, interesting collaborations. I sang “Need Your Love So Bad,” “ Thirty Foot Trailer,” “The Old Triangle,” “Over The Hills” and “ Shoals Of Herring.” The whole company finished with a glorious rendition of the Tom Lewis song “Union Miners Stand Together.” Which was both poignant and apt in a town where there were once so many collieries. ( And where now there are none).

    Last night I joined Terry Oakley and Friends out at Beanfield Avenue in Coventry. Tony Okehampton is the Sty Folk Club host who loves to wind me up by pretending he can never remember my name. Possibly because he so often appears to be changing his own. Anyway, Ray Oaktree it was who led a small but perfectly formed company through a range of mostly contemporary covers and self-penned songs. Accompanied at various times by harmonica, keyboards, various guitars, percussion and and an Industrial capacity hot air blower. So diverse was the room temperature, that artistes performed in coats and scarves whilst the heating was not on and got town to shirtsleeves rolled up  when it was.No one sang “ Leaving on a jet plane,” but with the back of the stage sounding like a 747 nosing off a Heathrow apron, it would have been apt. 

        Ramon Oakshott himself had fixed some miniature runway lights to the sound aperture of his guitar since I last saw him play. Whether this was a tuning system, or just a device he had fitted to keep him awake never became fully clear. But it was very pretty. Mahendra and Jan treated us to some tasteful arrangements, including their own material, and a nice version of the Carpenters' “Superstar,” Not to be outdone, John Hancox gave us some Rod McKuen and Gordon Lightfoot and we even had a Faces' cover from Simon Groves. (Nice axe, Si!). Rod Oakenshield took us all over the shop-Dylan's “Blowing in The Wind” (very clever, Reggie!), Country Blues, heating technology, the lot. Caroline Horne spanked out a lively mix of creditable self-penned tunes and covers, leaving Hilary Wilson to combine her lovely voice and subtle guitar pickin' with some of her own wistful, fey numbers, packed with imagery.

     Me? Well I was planning to air a brand new Canal song. One never performed publicly before. But I lost my nerve and started instead with “Between The Wars” and “ It's All Over Now.” I felt we needed cheering up a little after that, and because Bobby Oakfield had switched the Blower back on again during my stint, I added two of my own, “Down Our Street,” and “ If I were a Goat.” It was the perfect opportunity for me then to get “ Tom Waits For The Waterways” out of the wrapper, but I bottled it again and finished with “ The Old Triangle.” instead. Mainly because I could remember the words, having done it only yesterday, across the County Line.

    P.S.. He's Rob Oakey. I knew that all the time. I took a photo of him last night to remind me.  Surrounded by his admirers. ( Blimey, he's going to get me, now!)

Lest we Forget

    Yesterday, for the second time in five years, irreconcilable differences suddenly surfaced to break up Black Parrot Seaside. It caused me great personal pain the last time it happened, in 2009, and the pain of it this time was even more immense. Both times were like bereavement. I personally  can cope better with the sense of loss this time, although I have concerns about the disappointment which a few others may feel. Particularly friends and families. Of the most grievous  hurt was the immediate loss of both our bookings at 2014 Bedworth Folk Festival.

 

   It is also very disappointing that we were on the brink of beginning work on a second CD. To include all the songs people have applauded or requested. Rod Felton's " Curly." Our own "Down Our Street"  and "Albert Balls." All lost, now.

 

   None of this was at my instigation. When someone walks out of a rehearsal and/or a meeting and refuses point blank to discuss the band or projects associated with it, I really don't see how that band can continue. And I cannot envisage where any of us were expected to go thereafter, except in separate directions. Again.   

    It has been made plain to me recently that as a Front man, compere, organiser, singer and songwriter I am just not good enough. The honest course of action then, is to man up and accept this consensus. Clearly, I have been deceiving myself. I feel so stupid. A vain, silly old man, with a conceited view of his own capabilities and an imagined talent. Realising how others see me as a performer, and with the added limitation of not playing any instrument, my only option now is a return to solo work. Some venues-The Larder at Atherstone, The Bell at Monks Kirby, The Abbey Theatre, The Fox at Attleborough, and  Rowington Folk Club-only know me as a solo artist, anyway. But this is a limited option. With my own self-esteem now at rock bottom, this it may be "it " for me, and for public musical performance.

    HOWEVER: I am not quite so ready to let go of Nuneaton Folk Club. Even though I am haunted by an odd sensation that some  hoped to watch it crash and burn. Well: here is some bad news for them. It hasn't. I have spent today talking to Julian, who runs The Crown where the club is based. He is 100% adamant that he wants ME  to continue running the club.  I am DELIGHTED to oblige.  And just to spike what feels occasionally like Schadenfreude, I  will keep it going  until someone else better suited offers to step in and do it better.  (Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough).

    A few other volunteers have  put in quite a bit of time helping me establish this club  and very grateful I will always be for their input. But : I  put in quite a shift, myself.  I negotiated the venue, created (and then kept updated) a Club Website and a Facebook Page and produced posters and fliers. I wrote and delivered Press releases, did media interviews and promoted NFC events at other venues. I booked a full monthly programme a year ahead, donated raffle prizes, liaised with the venue on advertising and even commissioned a Club Banner.  It would be a shame to dump all that, just to satiate  the egos of a few small minded people. 

  Undoubtedly, there would have been a few sad people who would have been delighted to see the new club fold.  Especially given its instant success. But that won't be happening.  Julian and I have been so encouraged by the attendances at Nuneaton over the first two months, that we are reluctant to let that goodwill go lightly. I feel I owe it to those who have turned out so far, to try to keep it going until someone else  takes it over. So it continues. With all the advertised guests still coming, over the next 12 months.
    Finally, there will also be a tiny minority who will be delighted that once again, and probably terminally, Black Parrot Seaside are off the local and national circuit. They will rush to fill our shoes and fulfil our cancelled bookings. Good luck to all concerned, with that.

NFC Unplugged.

   Staggered yesterday to find that,  on a cold November 5th  night, with (apparently) counter-attractions like burning effigies outside, more than ninety people turned out for our second Nuneaton Folk Club night at The Crown. And heartened to see that despite the (various) P.A.'s available malfunctioning, all of the audience stayed, to add their raucous, enthusiastic support. And chuffed by such tremendous positive feedback afterwards.

 

   Most performers we had chosen for that night are used to working with or without amplification. But when you've been told it is available, and  then it suddenly isn't , well that can come as a nasty surprise. Especially if (as some of us had) , you'd already done a gig elsewhere that afternoon. So the vocal chords were stretched to capacity, in a full room. The entire cast rose to the challenge magnificently.

 

   Black Parrot Seaside opened with a defiant "All Over Now" (seemed apt at the time), and "The Odeon." The audience bellowed out the choruses, and Sue Sanders fiddled away merrily along with us from the sanctuary of a few rows back.

       The constantly improving Finger In The Jar followed-not an easy task, being the first non-resident Band to perform without a safety net. They coped brilliantly. "John Ball " was a canny choice.

 

    Daisybell (what a great name-who thought of that?) followed, with a storming debut. Never saw Sally-Anne as a Folk Rock Chick, but my how she stomped her boots on that stage and pounded that accordion/squeezebox/concertina/ bellows thingy like she was pummelling Simon's chest after he'd burnt the dinner. They threw the kitchen sink at the last instrumental.  Brilliant girls! Well done!

 

    Follow that? Easy. KC Jones did. Karen's mighty vocals would fill a room that size with or without a mike. It soared to the back, as a Guest butterfly, inspired, emerged from behind the new "Nuneaton Folk Club" banner and took wing. A beautiful moment. John Kearney then became the first solo artiste, and again, had no problem filling the room with "Jolly Boys Holiday," and a very wistful Remembrance song.

 

     Sly Old Dogs then followed, having finished with the lampposts outside. I've spent a lot of time with this lot, and I knew they would be the right act to open our Guest Season. A  rumbustious  30 minutes' Craic followed, with the audience showing no signs of tiring.  

     But we gave them a brief break anyway, to refuel and unload waste material, before BPS kicked off the second half with " Albert Balls."  We sacrificed a second number to keep to time, and because we felt the audience deserved a treat. We drew the raffle, and then Malc Gurnham and Gill Gilsenan took to the stage. This gave Gill a welcome opportunity to rest from heckling, although she managed to fit plenty in on stage, giving Malc earache during each number.

       These future NFC guests were followed by another. The excellent  Maria Barham, on next month, partnering Carole Palmer. Last night Maria also had a surprise guest, Flossy McDougal, who joined Maria  duetting on " Perfect." A surprise, because I had neglected to warn Flossy that I'd set this up with Maria beforehand.  

     With the street cordoned off outside and flashing lights and sirens due to an unfortunate RTA causing havoc below, Sly Old  Dogs returned to give us more of the same. All the old favourites were there. Richard's breathless  sustained note on the Tuba? Bob's multi-instrumentalism and shameless CD commercials. Tool's majestic plucking ( I think that's the right word). Paul Kenny's splendid Asphalt Dance. Pete cooking up a sweat on the chord-changing Gypsy Laddie-O. Nigel's endless fiddling. (And some good tunes on the string instrument too). Collectively they worked the audience into a lather, and even worked in an encore without me introducing one.

 

     Thanks to Dave Parr, Phil Benson, Arnie, Dave Parr, Martyn Gilder, Gil Gilsenan, Tom "Triffid" Veasey, Nelly and Julian and many, many  more for all the help, advice and support. Couldn't have done it without you.

A Message from Your Sponsor.

     Thanks for all that personal praise and encouragement, after another triumph last night. The "buzz" was still evident on Social networks beyond 1am this morning. (When I gave up and got some sleep) Long may it continue.

    It is very flattering. And whilst it is fully deserved (!!!) I can only reiterate that the IMMENSE success of the club's first two nights is a proper team effort. The combined hard work of Band members and other Venue organisers like Phil Benson and Malc Gurnham has also helped to bring us this far so soon. Arnie and Phil have put in long hours of work trying to get various sound systems tailored to fit our needs. That we eventually had no P.A. system last night was unfortunate, but no reflection of the hours any of us put in beforehand. Other people with a similar broad base of sound technology were also on hand-we just eventually ran out of time. Did it mar the evening or spoil things? No.

    Similarly, two other Black Parrot Seaside stalwarts, Dave Parr and Arnie (again) worked themselves to a standstill last night. Humping gear, flogging raffle tickets, and of course, playing to entertain the audience.  Like me, ( and Phil) they'd both had another  earlier musical commitment in the afternoon, making it a very long day. It is this combined voluntary effort that has got us so far, so soon. Some of us went straight from one gig to another yesterday, working without a food break or even a wee stop, for up to ten hours. So much for being "retired" !

 

     And let's applaud the pub staff, who as Maria Barham has acknowledged elsewhere, are willing, friendly, supportive and generous. Julian has provided all facilities for free, donated some cracking raffle prizes, and is delighted that he's finally added a Folk Club to his portfolio of entertainments. Did you notice the folk music playing downstairs in the bar as you all arrived? And that he drops some of the prices on a Folk Night? Attention to detail! All the pub staff work so hard to keep the range of drinks dispensed and the tables cleared. 

 

      Yes, I accept that  it takes some front and some bottle to compere a night like that, but people from far and near are also putting in an extraordinary effort in to welcome a new music venue to the Town Centre.  Without ALL these people...well...you can imagine the rest. I like Nuneaton. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but as my Dad and Grandad were born there, I suppose I'm biased. My son and I follow the (very mixed!!) fortunes of its football team. It is an earthy, grounded, working town where people speak as they find. So much of the talent you've seen so far is based there (And there's lots more!)  What you see is what you get. To have succeeded here, in such spectacular numbers is a real triumph for all concerned.

 

    More about the Entertainment on view last night to follow. But I felt that this needed to be said first, and separately. Take a bow, Nuneaton Folk Club. .