Biggest July Crowd This Year!

MDF have had a couple of gigs lately and I've used the OMC PA system. The last one was Barby Fete on Sunday 25th June. No.1 Roadie and I got there nice and early and got everything nicely set up. All was well, and after the second set there were some grumbles from the audience. I would have dismissed them had one ofthe audience been No.1 Roadie. That was the worst I've heard you. It sounded awful. :-( Clearly the amp, at full volume, was on its limits, and the speakers were distorting.
It has been on my mind for a while now that the way to go is to invest in some higher quality gear.
And so it was on the Monday I was on the phone  to Music Express Coventry https://www.expressmusic.co.uk/ and talking active speakers. I've bought a few things from them recently, and they are always very helpful. A deal was done and a couple of Yamaha DXR10s went into the back of the van, only coming out of their boxes on Friday Night,

Mike & John

There's a little experimentation to go with levels before I've got the sound just right for The George, but with the additional support of an 800W sub there was no question that the difference was amazing. My thanks to Derrick for keeping me informed of how things sounded at the back of the room.

It was another full night of various genres and I began the evening's proceedings with a Bob Dylan cover, 'All Along The Watchtower'; this time with harmonica. Not sure how it sounded, but I think it is definitely in need of more practice. Sitting on the high-stool the guitar kept slipping down my thigh, making those barre chords very tricky. My second was one of my own. It doesn't have a title, but it is about one of my favourite subjects, 'death'.

Next up were John & Mike. Their first song of the evening was Van Morrison's, 'Brown Eyed Girl' follwed by Elvis Presley's 'Wooden Heart' with "einige einwandfreie Deutsch singen"

A baking July evening meant that the firedoor was open, letting a much needed cooling breeze through the assembly. That probably explained why it is that Hedley looked so cooldelighted us with his accompaniment and solos while our regular contributor Nigel Lewis gave us Bob Dylan's 'Knocking On Heaven's Door' and his own composition 'I'm Not Sure'; a song that gets better each time I hear it.

No Strings Attached

We haven't seen No Strings Attached at Kilsby for a while and it was great to welcome them back. Their two guitar  jigs and reels are delightful, and this evening, with the addition of a bit of bluegrass, was no exception. I missed the titles of this evening's pieces, but think the first was a reel called Jenny Lyn

Sandi &Torgul

Tony Collins

Without the rest of the band Sandi & Torgul are free to pick from a much deeper pool of music, and they had their dancing shoes on tonight. Poor old Leonard Cohen is much maligned, but one of my favourite songs of his is a spectacularly cheerful 'Dance Me To The End of Love'. This was followed with a bit of country and George Stait's, 'I Just Want To Dance With You'

Tony Collins has been heavily involved with this year's 'Folk on The Water' cuminating in an open mic at The Boat Inn, Stockton. I should imagine he is shattered, so it was good to see him this evening, and he brought along his harpsichord. He had his femine side on display this evening, with songs from Suzanne Vega and Bette Midler. The first being 'Queen and The Soldier' and then finishing with a song I've heard him cover a few times now,
'The Rose'

Pete and Marianne

Steve Bates

Steve Bates was on good form this evening. Noel Gallagher's 'Half The World Away' suits his style of playing and his voice very well. His second song was a self-penned song around the experience of  losing touch with your children. The title 'Miss You' said it all, and it was a very moving song.

Pete Nash was armed with a bundle of leaflets promoting his open mic night at The Bull, Clifton. You have to admire him for it, and it is a night I've been promising myself for ages. Tonight, with Marriane, they gave us the song of the night Melanie Safka's 'Look What They've Done To My Song Ma'
Pete's other song was the Harry Nilsson classic from Midnight Cowboy, 'Everybody's Talking At Me'

MDF was a bit thin on the ground this evening, just John, Mark and myself, and with the Crick Scarecrow Festival busking coming up, we decided to stick with the things we'd be playing over the weekend, beginning with a song about a train and then Guy Clarke's Baton Rouge. I wasn't expecting to be jostled off the mic, but Grandad Banjo wasn't missing out on the chorus.

No socks in sight - Steve Edgar

Steve Edgar was in plaintive warbling mode this evening, blasting me back to my youth with a bit of Led Zepplin and Pink Floyd. It isn't everyone that can carry off 'Stairway to Heaven'. Like many of the songs we all know, it is more difficult to sing well than it seems.
His next song was banned from guitar shops all over the country for at least ten years. It is still frowned on, but a beautiful song all the same, and one of my all time favourites, 'Wish You Were Here'.

Bringing the biggest ever first half to a close, it was half ten after all, was Dangerous Derrick Meyer and his grandson Alec; I'm sure that's what he said. Derrick started off with a blast from the past, Cat Stevens' 'Wild World' and then bang up to date with George Ezra's 'What You Waiting For'. He finished his solo set with Gordon Lightfoot's 'Ghost' before being joined by Alec and together singing 'Crying In The Rain'. The harmonies were superb, and I think The Everly Brothers would find it hard to do better; especially since Phil died in 2014. On his own Alec sang the Roddy Woomble song, 'I Came In From The Mountain'.
Something strange happened at 10.45 and lots of people decided that they had to go, leaving a few of us to enjoy a few songs, lead by Steve Edgar and to an audience of two and the staff. We started off with a bit of Bob, no not that one, Bob Marley and Three Little Birds, followed by Tony's suggestion, 'Working Man' and finishing on Be Bop A Lula.

Thank you to all participants and performaers, you were awsome!

It all happens again on Friday  4th August.

A truth universally acknowledged

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is nothing like a nice warm summer's evening for an outdoor open mic, and Thursday's weather for Tony Collins' Open Mic in aid of Zoe's Place at The Boat Inn was nothing like a warm summers evening. Though that didn't dampen the enthusiasm of any of the performers, it did thin the audience a bit.

Well that's what Jane Austen would have said if she had been at The Boat in last night. I'd been keeping an eye on the weather for the last couple of very wet days and had my fingers crossed for Tony, who'd put in a lot of work organising the event as a part of this year's Folk On The Water and their appeal for Zoe's Place.

Wisely, I picked up a tarpaulin to cover the lighting rig in the event of rain, as it provided a little additional protection to the performers too.



The privilege of bringing the evening to a close fell to MDF, possibly as a strategy to get everyone to go home, who were ably assisted by Steve Edgar. Because one of the listed acts hadn't made it we got a little longer on stage; and on behalf of MDF I'd like to thank those that did stay for hanging on with us to the end of the night. It was not for the faint hearted. No1 Roadie hadn't been able to help me set up, because she was still at work as the first act got under way, but I was very glad to see her when she later appeared in the audience and I was very glad of her help when it came time to pack up.



Here's a photo of the sound man's view from the stage, as Napton's 'Soul Sisters' basked in the warmth coming from the audience, possibly the only warmth going this evening, unless you were sat under one of the patio heaters.

The highlights of the evening for me were a lovely set from John Wright, who we don't often get to hear on his own, and local legend Mick Bisiker's 'Rack and Ruin'.

Other performers that braved the elements were
The Willow & Tool, setting the bar very high with their opening set, Steve Edgar and also the lively Garrison Evolution Band.

For more information on this year's Folk On The Water follow the link http://www.folkonthewater.com/

June is bustin out all over

When a couple of regular OMC said they wouldn't be able to make June's Open Music Night I thought I was in for a quiet night. Wrong! There were ten performing acts of solo performers, duets and bands, and after a quick headcount it became apparent that they were outnumbered by the audience and it was standing at the back for quite a few.

In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the release of The Beatles' 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band', the interval and changeover music was provided by the Fab Four (not in person, obviously).

We started bang on time, just ten minutes late, and I opened with Bob Dylan's 'All Along The Watchtower. It is a lovely, simple song, but it needs to have a harmonica on the go, so maybe for next time, unless I can persuade Ross to step in. My second was my own, 'Hole'. It was lovely to have a few people singing along, though this might suggest I need to rest it for a while. There's only six months to go before I can sing 'Under The Patio' again.


Second up was John and Mike. They gave a very accomplished performance of The Beatles, 'Lady Madonna' and Cat Stevens (I know he's changed his name, but he'll always be Cat to me.) 'Moonshadow'. Mike has a very distinctive voice, and when he picks the right song he can stop the room. Tonight's songs were both on the money.
Their second half contribution was a parody of Knocking on Heaven's Door with the story of a Welshman who wouldn't get out of bed and the many attempts to wake him; 'Knockin' On Evan's Door'.



Pete and Marianne dived into the nineteen seventies with two cracking tunes. Their first, with Pete singing, was ELO's "Telephone Line", which hurtled me back to my school days. This was followed by Richard and Linda Thompson's "I'm Only A Poor Little Beggar Girl", which Marianne appeared authentically angry in. I did struggle with the mic levels to capture Marianne's voice, as she had a tendency to keep the microphone just a little too far away. But for all that, it was a lively and enjoyable performance.



Next up, fresh from his triumphant sell out concerts, (well, it was raining outside so the beer tent was nice and full on the Monday when we saw him,) at The Crick Boat Show was Dangerous Derrick Meyer, along with his magnificent pedal arrangement. AKA The Mother Ship.

Derrick has become increasingly slick in his performances, and even managed to pose and smile for his photo without missing a beat. However, he still has to master turning off the harmoniser before speaking to the audience.😉

His first song of the evening was The Eagles', 'Peaceful Easy Feeling'. For his second song,

Derrick was accompanied by Alex, who lent his voice to some very nice harmonies on The Rolling Stones' 'Last Time' before staying up for one of his own, the second Beatles song of the night, 'Blackbird'. Derrick and Alex were both up for another song in the second half of the evening. Derrick with the X-Ambassador's, 'Renegades' and Alex with Yazoo's 'Only You'.


We've seen Nigel a couple of times on his own recently, and it was good to welcome Darren back to The George, and henceforth, they are to be known as 'Odds and Ends'.

They began with the steady and soulful Bob Dylan's 'Knocking on Heaven's Door'. This was followed by 'Handbags and Glad Rags'. It's hard to believe that this was never a hit for it's writer or for Rod Stewart, and but for 'The Office' probably wouldn't have been a hit for The Sterophonics either. Still, it is a cracking song.



Though it took until the the second verse to shake off the Bob Dylan song as the initial chord sequence was very similar. Nigel was on his own in the second half, beginning with one of his own compositions, 'Day Dreamers' and then the sing along classic anthem, James' 'Sit Down' in which we enthusiastically joined in with at the necessary bits.

Allan brought his bodhran and his guitar with him this evening. His first song,  'Black Leg Miner', on the bodhran, is well rehearsed, and the underlying brooding menace was palpable. It certainly helps that he has the accent for it. His second offering was on the guitar, and that was Christy Moore's classic, 'Ride On'.

Another opportunity for the audience to join in came when Allan sang Rita Macneal's 'Working Man'; a song well known by a few of the regulars. Allan's final song of the evening was Allen Bell's 'Windmills'.

 Torgul and Sandi weren't able to make it this evening, so we were without Shud B Band. However, Sue did come, and with her came Paul and Andy. I'm not sure how they felt about being announced as Sooty, Sweep and Sue though.

Everything was 'alright' for them in the first half as they started with The Travelling Wilburys' 'Well It's Alright' and then followed it with Bob Dylan's 'Don't Think Twice, it's Alright'. The second half wasn't quite so optimistic, beginning with 'It's All Over Now'. Still, they ended on a good note with another crowd pleaser, Van the Man's 'Brown Eyed Girl'

 The star performer of this year's Love Song competition, Mick Bisiker came to see us again, and brought Nigel Ward with him. We were treated to a host of reels as well as one of Mick's own compositions 'Ball and Chain'. We had more of the same in the second half as Mick and Nigel played us out to the end of the evening, an eye watering 11.40pm

Mick mentioned that the band Rack 'n' Ruin are playing at The Napton Festival on 7th July.

MDF, bringing the first half to a close, were once again light on numbers, without Mark, Tracey or TCB.

It seemed a good idea to open with the song that we open and sound check with given that we have a gig coming up. So off we went with Arlo Guthrie's 'City of New Orleans' or as Ross says, "a song about a train". We do miss Brian and his locomotive whistle when he's elsewhere. This was followed by an uncharacteristically slow version of Guy Clarke's MDF favourite 'Wagon Wheel'.
With a few people needing to leave early we had an order shuffle. Our second half contribution was Pete St John's 'Fields of Athenry'.





Sadly, as I prepared this entry to the Kilsby Open Music Collective Blog I learned that folk legend Vin Garbutt has passed away. Many of us had seen him in concert over the years, and the world of folk music will be the poorer for his passing.





We are back for more fun on Friday, July 7th.

Acoustic Anarchy

HI George

Some notes on Friday

a select few attended with some audience toward the end who kindly said they were impressed by the performances.

Not everyone had read the email properly so some punk offers were under cooked or non existent

MDF kicked off without BJ or George or TCB, with London Calling, getting in early since George had "kindly" pointed everyone at it on the email link, we needn't have worried as... not everyone read the email... then followed by our offering a raggedy version of Town Called Malice, not helped by our busking mic failure so the Girl's vocals were a little lost.

Pete (from Clifton) with wife Marian kicked off with the Oasis Half the World away to warm up and then wacked into Julian Copes World Shut your mouth, a proper punk anthem.

Tugril and Sandy were guilty of not reading ht email and sang Side by Side followed by Blue Moon at a decidedly ordinary non punk speed.

Steve stepped up with a rendition of Paul Wellers Wild Wild Wood and then with what proved to be a winning performance of Psycho killer by the Talking Heads, complete with French lyrics.

Paddy gave us a song I wrote down but cant read my notes on and then Green Day's Good Riddance which we haven't heard him do for a long time, well done Paddy.

Finally Allan with 2 "l's" sang Ride on by Christie Moore and then Windy Harbour, Allan said, "what's punk?" (he didn't but he might have)

Psycho Killer Qu'est-ce Que C'est?

after a break we wheeled around again in the same order MDF : End of the line, Bad moon Rising and Long way Home

Pete and Miriam a lovely self penned song about their daughter leaving home and then Fat Bottomed Girls

T & S When I'm 64, a Ewan McColl song (no notes from me)and dedicated follower of fashion

Steve, bravely wearing the black bin bag of anarchy, awarded for the winning punk rendition gave us Dont Worry about a thing, a John Martyn song and Squeezebox (Who) and then Psycho killer again.

Paddy: Sam Stone, Sweet Baby James and El Paso

Allan: Blackleg miner on the Bodrum, Working man and Windmills

Most of the ensemble then got up for a rendition of Chip Shop and then
Wagon wheel. We were joined by a chap from the audience who asked if he could play the Cajon, his name might have been Chris but by then I was losing the will to live, anyway he sat down and battered the bloody living daylights out of the old girl. It transpires he lives in Kilsby and sells... musical instruments.

It remains to be seen if any of the artists or Chris are ever seen again.

We also had in attendance Mrs Fleming's third son, who unfortunately had a shoulder injury and couldn't join in, but made his presence felt by boosting Maggie's takings, every time I looked up he was at the bar, "mines a(nother) pint please Brian"

cheers

don't ever ask me to do that again

x

No fool like an old fool!

This was the second year for the All Fools' Open Music Night. The fact that April Fool's Day was the previous week didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits, or limit the enthusiasm for the telling of jokes. In the blog will be some of the jokes from the evening as well as some of the light bulb jokes, just in case you missed them. The night's opening joke being; Two Irishmen walked into a bar and the landlord said "I really need to change those light bulbs". Mine didn't get any better than that, but there were some very funny contributions.

Tonight's new procedure for slot allocation went ok, with one or two opportunities for improvement. I started the ball rolling as per usual singing a couple of my more recent songs, 'Old Town Blues' followed by 'The Canary'; an appropriate song given that during this week America dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb in Afghanistan and it was declared legal to rent out a spare room in exchange for sexual favours, so legitimising the exploitation of vulnerable people in need of housing. Agreed it wasn't the most humorous beginning, but I knew that that would soon be put right. 

Next up, to his surprise, was Bob Deluce. The surprise came from drawing plectrum No.8 and assuming that meant that there were seven others before him. That he had drawn the lowest number and missed my running order announcement meant he was a bit thrown. Bob had brought his studio with him and required powering up and plugging in. This meant that he was tucked into the wall a bit. I'll make sure that there's a flying lead available for next time Bob. Bob's contributions to the evening were Gerry Rafferty's Shoeshine Boy and Beatles Back in The USSR. I have to say, the Gerry Rafferty song really suited Bob's vocals and sounded superb. Bob also receives the 'That Joke' award for his Gary Glitter joke.

Bob shares the running of an open mic night at The Royal Oak, Crick, with Derrick Meyer on the last Thursday of each month. Bob and Derrick provide the PA and you can benefit from some of their gadgetry, such as drum machine and harmonising effects if you wish.

#1 Roadie taping up the gantry harness 

Here's one for Shirley: How many roadies does it take to change a light bulb? One, two, one. two.

Tony was lent John's homing pigeon joke; What do you lose if your homing pigeon fails to return? The answer being just a pigeon.
His first song was a delightful innuendo laden 'Let's have a ride on your bicycle', by Max Miller. Between songs Tony (sorry, the very blurry photo was rejected by the editorial staff) announced that this year's Folk on The Water event includes an open mic evening at The The Boat Inn, Stockton, in aid of Zoe's Place Hospice. It takes place towards the end of June. Tony's second piece was printed on a sheet that was defying his eyes attempt to see the words, so he reverted to a song he knew by heart. Al Read's, 'Our Joe Won't be With Us Much Longer'. I was possibly the only one struck by the irony.

How many folk singers does it take to change a light bulb? Ten. One to change the bulb, one to play accordion, and the other eight to sing about how good the old one was.

The not so mighty MDF were without Ross, John and TCB tonight, and because Mike had to be away before ten thirty, and it looked like being a long night, we did a three song set, with me standing in for Ross singing Galway Girl, while Tracey sang The Travelling Wilburys' 'Handle Me With Care' and Don Henley's 'Boys of Summer'.

It was Mike that made MDF's contribution to the jokes; going something like "I was annoyed at my computer for not accepting my new password. It said it had to have eight characters, but wouldn't accept 'Snow White'.

How many men does it take to change a light bulb?  Just one good one, but we know how difficult they are to find.

Regular Collectivist, Steve, Was on form, his opening line being "Can I beat last year's Italian joke? Corsican" I was so busy chuckling about that, while mingling at the back that I didn't note down his first song. I know I enjoyed it, but when it came to writing up for the blog I couldn't recall it at all. His second was an excellent cover of Keen's 'Somewhere Only We Know' which he absolutely nailed. 

How many aerospace engineers does it take to change a light bulb? Look, it's not rocket science.

By special request we were treated to a six song set by Stained Glass Bluegrass.

There was the obligatory 'Man of Constant Sorrow'; which no Bluegrass set would be complete without , along with a few less familiar tunes, and a very impressive a capella which gave me goose pimples.

It was good to have a extended set from this accomplished band, and I hope it isn't too long before another band or performer does the same.

Their song list for the evening was:

Lonesome Road

Man of Constant Sorrow

Russian Mandolin instrumental

Lord, Don't Leave Me Here

I'll Bear My Cross

Cold Sheets of Rain by The Blue Dogs

Not only did they play an extended set, they also had an extensive repertoire of jokes, with each band member taking at least one turn. Some of them were clever, some of them were funny, some of them were clever and funny, but at least one was neither! The best one belonged to their American mandolin player who offered the following travel advice for those seeking to visit Southern Carolina. "Why are there so unsolved murders in South Carolina? Because they have few teeth and all share the same DNA." 

How many fishermen does it take to change a light bulb? It was this big, took at least five of us to get it in!

After a short break, that allowed me to tidy up what had become a very busy and cluttered stage, and untangle the mic and instrument cables, we had a three song debut from The Soul Sisters, Sue, Ange and Debs, who had come all the way from Napton.

Their performance included Sixpence Non The Richer's 'Kiss Me', Mamas and Papas' 'California Dreaming' and ended with the beautiful Tom Waits', 'San Diego Serenade'.

It was a very polished performance and I really enjoyed the close harmonies and I don't recall us having a sax here at The George. I hope that it isn't too long before we see them again.

How many members of the Labour Party does it take to change a light bulb? Just the one, if they have enough Momentum behind them.

How many cabinet ministers does it take to change a light bulb? None, the light bulb is not broken, in fact it is better than it was under the last Labour Government, and is getting brighter and brighter.

More first time visitors, Dave and Joy. When we spoke after they'd arrived Joy confessed to not singing as often to Dave's accompaniment as to backing tracks. They were a bit undecided as to whether they would perform or remain in the audience for the evening. Clearly they were encouraged by the friendly and supportive atmosphere, or by beer, and they came up to give us a couple of songs.

Their first song was from George Gershwin's Porgy And Bess, made famous as a jazz standard by Ella Fitzgerald; 'Summertime', and then a song written and performed by Leadbelly, and covered by many over the years including Johnny Cash and Creedence Clearwater Revival, 'Them Old Cotton Fields Back Home'.

How many opticians does it take to change a light bulb? One.... or two? One.... or two?

How many drill sergeants does it take to change a light bulb? "One two three one two three one.

How many opposition politicians does it take to change a light bulb? Fifty two, one to blame the Government for the chronic under funding that lead to the bulb failure in the first place and fifty one to go 'yah, yah, yah'.

Keith and Kate have visited us a few times in various band guises; their most recent being as The Hatstand Band. This evening they were minus Richard, their cajon player and backing vocalist. The Hatstand Band material is a bit darker than we're used to hearing
I'm not quite sure of the title of their first song or who wrote it. It was something like 'River is Rising'. Their next was Justin Cross' 'Drink The Water'.
One we all recognised was Dorothy's 'Why Did Love Put A Gun In My Hand' which they've played many times, allowing us to sing along.
Finally, they ended their set with 'Too hard, too long'. When Keith said that searching Google for this song he got in a lot of trouble. So did I. Keith also provided what I thought was the funniest line of the evening. My wife asked me to pass her the lipstick, I misheard and passed her a glue-stick. She still isn't speaking to me.

From Kate. How many clinical psychologists does it take to change a light bulb? Non, the light bulb must want to change.

Tony adds a bit of uke authenticity to Baton Rouge

To finish the evening we had an ensemble for Baton Rouge.

How many Republicans does it take to change a light bulb? Three. One to hire a Mexican to do it, and two to deport the Mexican once the bulb has been changed.

How many divorcees does it take to change a light bulb? None, the bulbs went with the house.



Ross is in command for the May Open Music Night, while I enjoy a continental wedding. He is very keen to hear some Punk anthems, so might even have a prize or two. There is no need to swear, or spit, or wear a bin bag, or have your nose pierced; and you don't even have to be angry about anything. Just have a listen to this if you are after a bit of inspiration. Here is a link to The Bad Shepherds. Bad Shepherds, London Calling

If I was coming, and I wish I was, then Iggy Pop's 'Passenger' would be one of mine. Perhaps if no one gets in first I might do it another day.

Just one last one. How many thriller writers does it take to change a light bulb? Two, one two screw it in almost all the way and another to give it a surprising twist at the end.

March 2017 Open Music Night

After the excitement of February’s ‘Night of Lurve’ love song competition, March’s Open Music Night seemed a much calmer affair; and with some of the regulars away on holiday, and the legacy of this Christmas’ lurgy still evident, it was good to see a couple of returning faces.

I opened with the first performance of a new song, ‘I'm Not Ready For You’.
There is a difference between singing at home and performing something in public, and I’ve already made a couple of tweaks following its outing. My next two were more familiar, both to me and the audience. They were ‘Old Town Blues’ and ‘Simple Life’.

Nigel Lewis was next up and, with a little help from Hedley on violin, Torgul (hiding) on percussion and Sue adding a very effective bass, performed Bob Dylan’s 'Knocking On Heaven's Door', followed by another classic, Ben E. King’s 'Stand By Me'. His last was a self-penned song. 'I'm Not Sure Any More'.

Folk at The Oak regular Steve Bates was back again. Tonight he nailed REM's 'Losing My Religion', and provided a couple of self-written songs. The first was 'You Make My Day' and the second was the very sad 'The Phone Keeps Ringing'; inspired by a personal experience.

Dangerous Derrick Meyer brought his own studio with him; with more pedals than a church organist would know what to do with. The effect of the effects is to give Derrick's performances the feel of a band, and an accomplished band to boot.

Derrick is so comfortable in his performances that he adlibs and tweaks the songs; and his comical asides can be delightful or infuriating depending on how much you love the song being performed. Tonight's offerings were The Eagles, 'Take It To The Limit', X Ambassadors 'Renegades' or Lemonade, (Derrick and Tracy's in joke), and Derrick's last song was the Lionel Ritchie classic, 'Easy'; with the audience, after a little coaxing, providing the 'ah ah ah!' Tonight he managed to make his exit without any drama, possibly because I’ve replaced the uprights to the lighting rig with longer ones, increasing the headroom by at least a foot.

Paul, Sandi, Torgul and Sue, AKA ‘ShudBBand’ were in the mood for some Creedance Clearwater Revival tonight. Starting with 'Stuck In The Middle With You' and followed by 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain' and then they covered Bob Dylan’s ‘Don't Think Twice, It's Alright'.

Tonight's performance was a bit shaky and it was apparent that it was clear on stage too. Whether it was the introduction of Torgul's Telecaster with amp at the back of the stage made it more difficult for the rest of the band to hear each other or not, it identified the urgent need of some monitor speakers. I’m on it! Having been in a similar situation with MDF at a recent gig where the sound system was supplied but not set up properly, I know how difficult it can be.

Mike, who hadn’t been sure if he would make it this evening, having just shaken of the worst of the lurgy, and John were next up. Mike is usually in strong voice, but tonight he wasn’t, as they say, on song. While their Cat Stevens' 'Moonshadow' was excellently performed, their Brian and Michael ‘Matchstalk Cats And Dogs' proved a bit of a stretch and Mike was defeated on The Fields of Athenry, as his voice began to deteriorate quite rapidly. It didn’t help when John produced a different version from the one they rehearsed. Hopefully, Mike will be back to full strength by Thursday’s Folk at The Oak. Sadly, John won’t be able to make April’s night so he got his joke in early.

MDF was barely recogniseable this evening, with no D, and no F;
but we did have an M, with Mark on accordion. John (Grandad Banjo) played banjo and guitar and I played guitar and stood in for Ross on vocals. I didn't do too badly, but not well enough for Ross to feel in any way threatened.

We kicked off with a well-known 'Wagon Wheel'. Well we would have had Mark got the right accordion strapped on; and he would have had if John put the songs on the stand in the right order. There’s nothing like looking professional. The Bob Dylan / Ketch Secor song was followed by The Waterboys ‘Fisherman's Blues’, which we seemed to do really, really slowly. The last song of our set was Woody Guthrie’s ‘Worried Man Blues’. The list of artists that have covered ‘Worried Man Blues’ is full of legendary performers. I’ll leave it there.

As always, Paddy delighted the assembly; this time with his Brexit based Christmas song, ‘The Turkey's Referendum’. It should remain topical at least until 2019, possibly much longer if the negotiations drag on as long as some suggest they might. His second was ‘Sing Like Johnny Cash’, in which he did sound remarkably like him. You can find this one on Youtube, but to save you looking, and I’m sure he won’t mind, here’s the link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3RCbiFLygo

His last song of the set was ‘Fun With Birds’; a salutary tale about the apparently good ideas formed while under the influence of alcohol. It doesn’t matter how often I hear these songs I can’t help laughing.

Last but by no means least was Andy Rogers, who must have enjoyed himself
last month because he was back, travelling all the way from Napton. He treated us to a couple of self-penned songs. The first was ‘Friday Salvation’, and one written for his daughter when she was a baby ‘Don't Be Afraid of the Dark’. In between, like a cover sandwich, was Newton Faulkner’s ‘Dreams catch me’. As always, Andy’s delivery is flawless, an excellent ending to the first part of the night.

Balancing the number of performers, the number of songs and then squeezing them all in to the nominal three hours is one of the challenges of running an open mic. When folk arrive a bit late, the list is already drawn up and I don’t like having asked people for three songs to then reduce the number, especially when the early acts have had their go, so tonight the first half took us to half past ten, only enough time for a few more songs, but not from everyone. I think in future I’ll create
a list based on a finite number of slots so that early arrivers get more than those that slip in after the evening has started.

After some pretty dark and heavy tunes in the early part, the evening ended on a lively and up-beat note. Steve Bates accompanied once more by Hedley performed ‘San Francisco Bay Blues’. The only thing missing was a kazoo. ShudBBand continued their Credence Clearwater Revival revival with a rousing ‘Proud Mary’. Paddy, once more in jocular mood, provided dietary advice in his ‘Instructions from The Food Police’; a fabulously satirical side swipe at the nanny state’s attempt to encourage healthier eating. MDF were back with Guy Clarke’s ‘Baton Rouge’. To finish off the night, Paddy, Mike, Steve and Nigel came up for an impromptu 'Wild Rover', with Paddy in the driving seat and the rest of us trying to keep up.

Time is flying by this year, so I’m already starting to prepare for April’s Open Music Night. I say preparing, I need to find some jokes.

Thanks Shirley for taking the photographs.