Footie and Folk on a Sunday

I notice that lots of Folkies on Facebook like to add their helpful tips on performance and songwriting to their profiles. Well,I can heartily recommend warming up the tonsils before a gig by standing on the terraces with 3,400 others singing "Storer is a Nutter." As a vocal warm up exercise it's really useful. Watching my beloved Nuneaton Borough slip bravely out of the Conference play-off final at Telford yesterday afternoon was emotionally draining. By the time I'd taken to the boards with Black Parrot Seaside a few hours later, my voice had dropped an octave with all the shouting-but it was an ideal way to round off a challenging day.

Last night saw us featured at the Styvechale Folk Club in Coventry. We brought along some musical "friends" in Jackie Shipley, Brian and Marie and Malc Gurnham. Lots of other floor singers turned up, making the evening kind of...interesting. We also brought along a sizeable part of the audience. I counted 21 who had definitely come to see us, and quite a lot more familiar faces in the crowd. That might be no big deal for Bellowhead, but it made it quite exciting for us and enhanced the chorus singing! There were several Parrot Virgins (in the musical sense) there last night too. As always, it is great to look out at an audience and see the mix of emotions unfolding on their faces as our set gets into its stride. ("Did they really just sing that?" " Why is he putting on a high-visibility jacket?" " Good God No! Not a Beyonce cover?")
As a rock band, "Small Maladjusted and Mean" was often (literally) a show stopper for us. As Vance and I used to grapple over the drum kit at the Golden Cross or Warwick University,audiences were not always sure what was theatre and what was actually happening. " Bold Pirate" with it's abrupt ending is still in that genre.

For the rivet-counters amongst you, the set was:

Courting is a Pleasure*
The Odeon
Requiem for Steam*
Albert Balls
Coventry Lullaby
At The Septic Monkey
The Gravy Train
Black Jack David*
I'm only a Poor Little Rhino
Cockney Power
D.I.Y.

The usual eclectic mix allowing the boys to air their musical dexterity (!!) and yours truly to prance about like a fool. Those asterisked are to identify them as "folk songs" as someone last night incorrectly said that we don't do any. Perhaps that was tongue in cheek. If it wasn't, it's just wrong. Incidentally, "Courting" and "Requiem" are as sad as any finger-in-the ear laments about dockside farewells or the Brig Levantine sinking with all hands off a Cornish reef. (Perhaps people should listen to the words?). But you can have enough of that kind of thing, and three hours of hand-wringing, wailing and mourning can tax all but the purist. Which is why we mix it around a little, and always will do.

Next up is an appearance at "The Boat" (Newbold) in June, and hopefully a set at one of Nuneaton's many fine Real Ale pubs.

Many many thanks to those who sang, laughed and joined in with us last night. And to Rob and Karen for inviting us.

Fund Raiser at Beduff

A grand night at Bedworth RFC clubhouse last night, as Blind Boy and myself made a late decision to attend Bedworth Folk Club's Fund Raiser.

It's good to see this venue so busy. BFC at the Con Club was never one of our favourite venues, and attendances were really dwindling last time we played it. (Not our fault, honestly). Last night it was rammed. Standing room only.

It was good to catch up on news and gossip, and touch base with old friends like Malc and Gilly, Brian and Marie and Pete and Chele Willow. Yes, BPS have still got plenty of friends in the Folk/Blues world!

Musically, there was a bit of everything on offer. Country, Blues, Trad folk, self-penned stuff, the inimitable Joe ("Up The Boro'!), Beatles and Buddy Holly covers. Well done to all.

Mick was away "golfing" (we reckon that's his euphemism for attending the Royal Wedding), so it was just Blind Boy and me. An opportunity for BPS to air their Blues repertoire again then, so we did " If I Had Possession" and "The Odeon."

"Possession" is a Robert Johnson original, also covered by some bloke called Clapton. It has several challenges for me as a vocalist. (No pressure then).

We don't do it that often so I had to brush up on the lyrics before I left home. It begins in an unusually high pitch for my range and if I don't hit that first note right it throws me and occasionally also temporarily fazes the Great Bluesman himself. I was born n' raised on this "Dust my Broom " riff,so I know versions by Elmore James (dozens!) Johnny Winter, PGFM, Taj Mahal, Spencer Davis Group, Cream, Bluesbreakers etc. All with various alter egos such as
" Rambling Pony" "Rolling and Tumbling" etc. All imprinted in my sad old head. I have to blank these versions out and concentrate on Arnie's magnificent Dobro intro to get that opening right.

Odeon went as it always did, although due to a surfeit of San Miguel I totally fluffed the lines about Ha'penny Chews and Sherbet Dips. Don't think anyone noticed though.


As a Blues Bonus we also joined in with Borderline Crossing's Finale, "Bring It On Home." I think I'm right in saying that BPS performed this glorious Sam Cooke song at the same venue last time we were there. Honoured to have Pete Willow describe my vocals in it as "like Dr. John." I am not worthy. Pete and The Parrot go back at least 30 years and we can prove it! He has championed our em, "distinctive" style and song catalogue throughout that time. In the Press, by booking us at venues,and by belting out our choruses at gigs. But rarely have we shared a stage together. He reckons the last time was at The Bulls Head Club we once ran in Brinklow. He could well be right. Let's not leave it so long next time, eh?

Parrot and Friends at The Sty Folk Club

Sunday May 8th 2011 sees the band doing a couple of feature spots each side of the interval at this venue in Coventry. It is a club we have visited before, and it marks a welcome return to our home town-our last appearances there being at The Maudslay "Reunion" in March 2011 and at the erstwhile Tin Angel last Autumn.

The full four piece format will perform the usual eclectic mix of traditional folk and blues numbers with some self-penned comedy songs and scathing satire. We guarantee to feature a few of our newer numbers not on the "Aint It Grand" album such as "Albert Balls," "Courting is a Pleasure" (Nic Jones) and "The Gravy Train" We also hope to air old favourites such as "The Bold Pirate" and " D.I.Y."

The friends we hope to bring along will include Malc Gurnham and Gil Gilsenan, and Phutnote.

For Nuneaton Town fanatic and singer Geoff, the evening will involve a cross-country rush back from a Conference play-off semi final somewhere in the U.K. Arriving breathless, and either demoralised or ecstatic depending on the final score. Hopefully not hoarse though, whatever the result.

Belated Match Report on The Maudslay

Another Interesting Sunday Evening March 27th at a Good Old pub in Good Old downtown Coventry. A venue we've played several times before.

Cancer Research Fund-raiser. Artistes appearing:

Pete Grassby:
Sarah Bennett and Friends:
A Finbarr who was billed as Furey but who turned out not to be:
Kev Dempsey:
Threepenny Bit:
Katherine Fear and Jon Harrington
Sean Cannon
Jan and that other blokey

and finishing the evening yours truly...Black Parrot Seaside.

Nice to be, um...headlining again..

We did:
The Gravy Train
Courting is a Pleasure:
Albert Balls
Midlands Lullaby

March 2011 Guest appearances

Hopefully continuing the gradual recuperation and convalescence of the four-piece format of Black Parrot Seaside, we hope to do a spot at Pete Grassby's night at The Three Horseshoes, Bubbenhall next Thursday (17th March)

Following on from that we also hope to be at The Maudslay, Coventry, on Sunday 27th March. A venue we always enjoy playing.

Back on The Perch Again

There followed another long and enforced break after the the post made below. It was due to a second bereavement involving my family. No point in going on about it. But the second death did prevent me from being available for the second attempt at getting to the Back Room Folk Club in Lichfield. Which we had to cancel in December 2010.

However, we finally managed to honour that commitment at the third time of asking, last week. Wednesday 16th February 2011 to be precise. Two funerals and several flu outbreaks later, Black Parrot Seaside were at last back on stage.It felt good.

Nice club. Nice people. High standard of musicianship. Good to see a familiar face there who remembered us (fondly!)from Brewood last summer.

Set List: (in order):

Courting is a Pleasure
The Odeon
Albert Balls
Midlands Lullaby
The Whistler
The Gravy Train
D.I.Y.

All four of us on form, and the full range of instruments were featured-mandola, mandolin, guitar, fiddle, banjo, accordion.

Thanks to all who listened and showed their support and appreciation.

Take the pins our of the little dolly now, PLEASE!

We've all had enough. We promise we'll try to be good.

Just six days after the optimism of the post below, my dear old Mum died, leaving me an orphan. Another blow, rendering the poor old Macaw a bloodied mass of feathers spinning in the road again.

But we get back up. We must always get back up. The day Mum died we were due to play at The Back Room club in Lichfield. Obviously, that was cancelled, but we are working on setting up a return visit asap.

Just a week after Mum's funeral, we're on the road again this Thursday. Off to Shirley, this time.The full foursome so lucky Shirley folkies -enjoy that it's a bit of a collector's item at present! Mum would have wanted me to carry on. She loved the Parrot stuff-she reckoned we were a but naughty sometimes, but we made her laugh.