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Old Susannah No. 146 – Watts The Story? End Of An Error?

Opinion, Satire and Humour No Responses »

Mar 282014

Voice’s Old Susannah takes a look over the past week’s events in the ‘Deen and beyond. By Suzanne Kelly.

Apologies for the late running of this service; a fortnight ago I got tonsillitis, which I found over-rated. Had to spend a week in bed (without any BrewDog at all – it was awful); I’d been struck down just after another marvellous Moorings music moment with Kirk Brandon and Dave Sharp.

Thankfully I was back on my feet in time for the Aberdeen Jazz festival. I caught both Gerry Jablonski sets, the first being in the Tunnels. The Tunnels are surprisingly dark for some reason, and the atmosphere was very intimate – I felt as if I were in a New Orleans nightclub at midnight.

Jablonski was on great form, and an hour later, the band were doing another set on the Green, which for some reason was lighter as well as nicely crowded, considering half the city had driven to Glasgow for the football.

Those who spent the afternoon on the Green had a choice selection of music, but the Jablonski band pretty much stole the day (and best wishes to the drummer, who wasn’t well enough to perform, and many thanks to the excellent stand in, DW).

Later that night the Joe Louis Walker Band was at the Blue Lamp; it was a rare treat to see blues done with such regal authority. I couldn’t figure out why no merchandise was on offer, but I’ll soon remedy that with a trip to itunes. Finally, this past Saturday I went with Julie to see Deborah Bonham at the Green Hotel in Mundell Music’s magical Backstage Bar. Another intimate show, and a rare evening. More on that elsewhere.

I also took in the Great Tapestry of Scotland currently on show at the Art Gallery; it is a phenomenal labour of love, and there are opportunities to add your own stitches to one of the panels. This massive series of beautifully stitched tapestries commemorates the good, the bad and the ugly moments in Scottish history; a section dedicated to those accused of witchcraft and executed really does show Scotland warts and all.

Then there was Sunday’s victory parade; congratulations to AFC on its well-deserved victory (as opposed to Arsenal’s wholly undeserved dissection at Chelsea’s hands, only made possible by ref. Marriner, who has basically admitted now that he didn’t have a clue what he was doing. Perhaps he’ll be applying for the newly-vacated Chief Executive of Aberdeen post, except for his admission he made a mistake.

Defence spending is still a worry though. We’ve not got much of a nuclear deterrent for one thing

But the real reason I’ve not had a chance to write was that I’ve been very busy with my financial advisors. Since the Tories announced they’ll turn our massive budget deficit into a small surplus in record time, I’m wondering what to do with my new found wealth. We’ll all be a penny better off when buying pints of beer, and can put even more money into tax-free savings.

Since we’ve all been able to save tonnes of money these past years, I thought I better get some financial advice on what to do with this massive cash windfall heading my way. Perhaps we’ve raised so much money between the bedroom tax and ATOS getting lazy ill people to work that the budget deficit will just go away.

They’ve managed to find some money in the treasury:-

£140m extra for flood defence repairs and maintenance

£200m made available to fix potholes

I think it’s a great idea that the Government will start thinking about potential floods; what a disaster flooding would be. I wonder where they got this flood defence idea from? If I can dredge up any facts on this flood defence budget, that will be more dredging than the ConDems ever did. Dredging rivers was deemed too expensive to do by some beancounter somewhere, and funding was cut. Nice to know we saved some money for a few years without any comeback.

As to the £200m for pothole repair, Result!

Only a spoilsport would point out that Which Magazine estimates the cost of fixing Scotland’s roads would be £12.93 billion. Old Susannah is not much of a mathematician, but what if we took some defence funds and fixed up some of our own wee social and infrastructure problems, and then got on with bombing the middle east for democratic reasons with the leftover money? Just a thought.

Defence spending is still a worry though. We’ve not got much of a nuclear deterrent for one thing, and unless you can blow up the planet a good few dozen times, no one takes you seriously anymore. The cuts have hit the neediest defence contractors to a serious degree; I’ll see if I can find a way for concerned citizens to donate to the military.

Of course there might not be cash in our armed forces for things like proper gear for people on the front lines in our little police actions around the world, but someone somewhere is making some money. Here are the grim facts:-

“Last month defence secretary Philip Hammond claimed to have balanced the budget for defence equipment over the ten years to 2022, outlining plans to spend almost £160 billion on new vehicles and kit [sad to say, but £160 billion just ain’t what it used to be – Susannah].

“The programme includes £35.8billion for submarines, including a replacement for the Trident nuclear system; £18.5billion on warplanes and drones; and £17.4billion for surface ships, including new aircraft carriers.

“Another £8 billion has been left unallocated to cover the risks of cost overruns. The programme meant that “for the first time in a generation the Armed Forces will have a sustainable equipment plan,” Mr Hammond said.” [hard to believe there could be cost overruns in the military – OS]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Trident-spending-to-accounts for third-of-defence-budget

Again, I’m no mathematician (so I may apply for a job in government’s budget office), but £35.8 billion would buy quite a few Granite Webs at £140 million each. It might even be enough to keep Valerie Watts looking suitably sun kissed for a year. And with that, it’s time for a few definitions, and a fitting send off for Watts-going-on.

Grit and Dynamism: (English Phrase used to describe the departing Watts) 1. Grit – sandy, irritating substance. 2. Dynamism – .

Alas, farewell, cheerio, bye-bye Valerie Watts. Was it our failure to win you a second City of Culture nomination that drove you from the Granite City? Was it hard to keep your natural tan going in our climate? Alas, we may never know.

The SNP are for some reason blaming their political opponents. Kevin Stewart said:-

“Mrs Watts came to Aberdeen with vision, dynamism and real grit and her resignation is a great loss to our city. I am sure that Mrs Watts will give her reasons for leaving, but I am sure that the dysfunctional behaviour of the Labour-led administration has played a part in her decision to go. ”

I’m sure it’s nothing to do with her handling of local issues from killing our deer on Tullos Hill or objecting to SNP’s Salmond showing up at Bramble Brae primary school during a by election. He was only there of course because of Piper Alpha, and nothing to do with publicity – at least I think the press release said something like that. Why is she leaving? So far she’s not saying.

A touching SNP letter appears in the 27/3 Press & Journal. The tears are streaming down my face as I read it:

“Valerie Watts came to Aberdeen City Council with a formidable record and she leaves with the utmost respect of colleagues and citizens alike. I will miss the competence and drive of Mrs Watts at the helm of the council. She has left some very big shoes to fill.” – Christian Allard, SNP MSP for North East Scotland

She may be leaving big shoes behind. Somewhere, perhaps in a cupboard she’s left behind a 3,000 strong petition begging the city not to kill the deer; she certainly didn’t bother to refer to it when writing a letter of 8 July 2011 about objections to the scheme.

“The objections that have been received by Aberdeen City Council regarding this project since January 2011 to 28 June 2011 total 244 letter or emails from 197 individuals/organisations. This includes letters/emails form 3 Community Councils (Cove & Altens, Kincorth & Leggart, and Bridge of Don”

You might have thought handing in a petition to Aileen ‘HoMalone’ on national television would have counted as objections, but not if you’re Watts. http://news.stv.tv/north/17223-campaigners-hand-over-petition-opposing-deer-cull-to-council/

More on the lady in a separate article. I hope she doesn’t let the revolving doors of Marischal hit her on the way out.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman: (Proper Eng. noun) Scottish government entity charged with overseeing complaints against Scottish local authorities and other duties.

You will be happy to know that, Aberdeen city still excels in some areas. In a 3 September 2013 letter to outgoing Valerie Watts, the SPSO ranks Aberdeen City Council the worst in Scotland for the number of complaints received in 2012/13 about its housing services, second in Scotland about how its planning services function, and third in Scotland for Social work complaints.

We also come 5th in Scotland for Educational complaints and 7th for Environmental complaints. Considering that George Copeland has for instance waited over 8 months to get a working front door fitted to his flat after the police broke it in while looking for a non-existent gunman, I can’t see why anyone’s unhappy with Aberdeen’s Housing bods.

As to the Environment, where else in the country will you find streets like ours for cleanliness, or more concern shown for the welfare of wildlife and the environment. You will be pleased that Aberdeen had the same ranking for complaints for housing, planning and social work in 2011/12.

Yes, we can be proud of excelling at something.

But that’s enough definitions on the sad occasion of Watts returning to Derry. From what I’ve read, she’ll be helping to increase passenger numbers at the airport, which has not noticed any increase in passengers from its gaining the City of Culture title. You could almost think this ‘Culture’ accolade was a hollow, expensive vanity award with little saving benefits. But surely not.

Next week: more definitions.

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Almost Blue: Promoting The New Country

Aberdeen City, Articles No Responses »

Mar 282014

Since August 2013, the local music scene has been enhanced as regular country gigs have been offered to city and NE music fans, David Innes reports. This is down to the energy and efforts of Martin Raitt and his Almost Blue Promotions.

Martin explains:
“In May last year I attended a My Darling Clementine gig in Alford and after the show singer Michael Weston King and I got talking. When I asked why touring country and Americana bands rarely seem to come to Aberdeen, he offered to play here if we could set up a gig for them.

“So after looking around for venues and quickly learning the rudiments of how to promote a show, we promoted our first gig in August 2013.

“Michael was as good as his word and it was a proud moment when My Darling Clementine played at Drummonds. The show went well even if the crowd was small, so I decided there and then to carry on and try to promote more shows.

“Since then we have had a further six gigs with more booked for the rest of 2014.

“I’d regularly travel to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth to see shows, I felt frustrated that the artists I wanted to see rarely came to Aberdeen, so I started Almost Blue Promotions to try to change that and make Aberdeen a regular stopping point for touring artists. The city has a vibrant live music scene. There are regular jazz and blues nights, Rock bands are everywhere, and folk music is very well catered for, but I didn’t see enough country or Americana bands playing.

“Glasgow has its regular country music club and several festivals; Perth has its annual Southern Fried Festival of Americana and Inverness and the Highlands have regular acts playing.

“Defining country music to people who don’t listen to it, is difficult. People tend to think of cowboy hats and line dancing, and there are country music clubs who cater for that sort of music, but Americana, or alt.country is probably best defined as rock music which leans heavily on country for influences, but includes significant and strong elements of bluegrass, roots, folk, R&B, blues and soul.

“It’s a very wide genre, covering so many different styles, and it always seems to be pushing the boundaries, bringing new influences into recordings and live shows. As far as Almost Blue is concerned, we’ve promoted traditional country with My Darling Clementine, Drew Landry’s acoustics southern blues, The New Madrids’ delicious country rock and soul and The Coal Porters’ Bluegrass.”

So where has this love of country come from in a man who must have been growing up during Britpop’s heyday?

“I was brought up listening to the country music records my dad was always playing. One of the most memorable is Elvis Costello’s Almost Blue, still one of my favourites. It’s a collection of cover versions of country songs that Elvis and the Attractions recorded with Billy Sherrill in 1981. It inevitably led me to listen to Gram Parsons, Merle Haggard and George Jones, and it’s also where I took the agency’s name from. The album was showcased at the city’s country and western club in the Hotel Metro prior to release and the reissued CDs feature live tracks from that show.

“Around the same time Steve Earle, Dwight Yoakam, Lyle Lovett and others were coming to the fore with their brand of singer-songwriter and rock influenced New Country, so it was then OK for me to admit that I liked country music!

“I’d love Almost Blue Promotions to host regular shows featuring high quality Americana acts in Aberdeen and for artists to look at Aberdeen as a place they want to play in the same way they currently regard Glasgow. I really believe that there is an audience in Aberdeen for this and that people will show up to listen once word spreads about gigs and they can have confidence that the artists will be of the best quality.

“In the past few months I’ve built up a database of contacts. This includes the biggest and best UK agencies dealing with Americana, and we’re looking forward to bringing some really great acts to Aberdeen. It’s not just about American artists, there are some terrific Scottish and UK Americana acts that I am looking to bring here too. My Darling Clementine from England, The Dave Latto Band (Fife) and Perth’s New Madrids have already played terrific shows in Aberdeen.”

And what are Almost Blue’s plans and ambitions?

“Our current goal is to offer at least one show per month but it would be great to organise an Aberdeen Americana Music Festival in the future. If I could choose any artist to play at the festival, I’d have to include Steve Earle, John Prine, Emmylou Harris and Dwight Yoakam. If I could bring back Townes Van Zandt, George Jones, Hank Williams, Lefty Frizzell, Waylon Jennings…there are so many it’s impossible to choose.”

http://www.almostbluepromotions.com

Upcoming Almost Blue Promotions gigs (all at The Blue Lamp, Gallowgate at 8pm)

Wed 2 April Thad Beckman

Fri 4 April Dean Owens

Tues 29 April Madison Violet with support Danni Nicholls

Fri 6 June Sam Baker

Fri 18 July The Red Dirt Skinners

Reviews of Almost Blue gigs

https://aberdeenvoice.com/2013/11/drew-landry-blue-lamp-26-11-13-david-innes-reviews
http://flyinshoes.ning.com/profiles/blogs/live-review-the-new-madrids-the-blue-lamp-aberdeen-9-march-2014

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Aberdeen Festival Of Politics: Ongoing Until 31.03.14

Aberdeen City, Events, Featured No Responses »

Mar 252014

A brand new grassroots political festival was launched in Aberdeen on Monday (March 24th) bringing together a week-long series of events looking to explore Scotland’s future. With thanks to Renee Slater.

Organised by local residents, Aberdeen’s Festival of Politics includes everything from film to music and comedy, while the main focus events will be several key debates on both the economic future of Scotland and the independence debate itself, labelled The big Debate, which will serve as a central theme for the week-long programme of events.

Featuring non-party-political panellists from a wide range of backgrounds, The Big Debate will be chaired by Professor Michael Keating of the University of Aberdeen and takes place at The Blue Lamp, from 3pm on Sunday 30th March.

Entry is free and for something a bit lighter, the event is followed by a night of folk music at the prince of Wales, also featuring some comedy from former MSP Rosie Kane.

The Blue Lamp also hosts the economics debate the following evening, starting at 7pm, with Business for Scotland taking on the Better Together campaign.

Participation in the festival has been open to all and while the main debates are not party-political, many groups are holding fringe meeting to tie in with the festival.

For more information on the full programme of events, visit http://aberdeenfestivalofpolitics.wordpress.com/

Created by a committee of Aberdeen-based residents with an interest in politics, the event will be run annually, with a theme relevant to that year. Funding for the week-long programme has come from a combination of donations and fundraising events.

Kind donations have been received from Aberdeen Trades Council, UNISON Aberdeen City, UNISON Aberdeenshire, UNITE the Union – Aberdeen District and RMT – OILC.

Festival organiser Renee Slater said:

“This is a unique event in Scotland. We are in an important year for our country and whatever happens here after the referendum, Scotland will certainly be a different place. As citizens we have the opportunity to make an impact on that future. Events such as this can only be positive?”

Links:

email: festival.of.politics1@gmail.com
twitter: @festofpolitics
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Festival-Of-Politics/
web: http://aberdeenfestivalofpolitics.wordpress.com/

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Musings Of A Not So New Music Photographer

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

Mar 182014

Julie Thompson continues her series on photographing bands in Aberdeen taking in The Beards/Massive Horse, The Answer/Estrella and Federation of the Disco Pimp/Kagoule/Marionettes at The Lemon Tree, The 1975/The NBHD/Wolf Alice at The Music Hall, and chats to local music photographer Dod Morrison.

The Beards – Credit: Julie Thompson

It seems somehow appropriate to be interviewing Dod Morrison, given that we both recently paid a visit to The Lemon Tree to photograph The Beards.

Dod sports a fairly substantial beard himself, although arguably not as luxurious as those attached to the band.

The Beards, a novelty band over from Australia were here to entertain us, along with their support – Massive Horse. Massive Horse are a couple of rappers, who use a projection screen to show videos, filmed to go with their songs.

These sorts of thing can be useful props when photographing bands – although getting the right moment for the image you’re after can sometimes require patience and a lot of luck.

Beard stroking commenced when The Beards came on. They stroked their own, they stroked each other’s. They even stroked the beards of members of the crowd.

The Beards base their act around the fact that all of their songs are about beards, but that aside, they are actually pretty good. Mostly rock but with some slower numbers, they entertain between songs with banter and some set pieces such as the band taking a break – the singer & lead guitarist had a chat over a beer while the bassist read a book about beards – leaving the audience to carry the chorus.

One track in particular tickled my funny bone; Shaved off his Beard . You can watch them perform on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJkLH4uZ73M

All in all, it was a fun night.

The bearded (and often Mohicaned) Dod Morrison has been shooting gigs for some years – about half of them with professional gear – since getting the bug when he first took photographs of Hayseed Dixie on his wee camera back in 2004.

His biggest frustration is a fairly typical one, as I have found from reading other music photographer interviews:

‘PR companies messing ya about or be replying or forgetting to add you to list and the restrictions you get put on you when everyone in the crowd has a camera anyway.’

It does seem that people spend more time watching gigs live through a phone than actually looking at the band these days. It can be a problem for us when we are limited to shooting from the sound desk up at the back – all you can see is a sea of arms and hands with phones in them.

So, what bands has Dod found the most fun or exciting to photograph?

Dod (bottom right) at The Temperance Movement – Credit: Julie Thompson

‘The Adicts are the most exciting, along with Cock Sparrer and Rancid.’

He singles out the Adicts because he went on a 21 cities tour of America with them from coast to coast (New York to LA and back) including the House of Blues in Los Angeles. This was the furthest, to date, that he has travelled to shoot gigs.

The most famous names under his belt include U2, Iron Maiden, and Katy Perry and on that note we’ll stop for a while. The second half of this interview will continue next time

I’ve been busy photographing other gigs between my last Musings and this, but I never got chance to write them up before a chest infection, exacerbated by some smoke machines at The Music Hall, knocked me out of commission for a couple of weeks. I’ll quickly mention some of them and there are photos linked below for anyone interested.

In late January, Federation of The Disco Pimp arrived at The Lemon Tree, along with Kagoule and supported by local band Marionettes.

We arrived at The Lemon Tree to find the usual photographers pit missing – a new one to me at this venue. It did mean, after some discussion with security, that we had a bit of a free rein on shooting, as long as we didn’t get in the way or annoy anyone.

The local band, Marionettes, kicked off the evening. The band consists of 5 mostly local lads (some hail from Glasgow) and were actually good fun, sparring with the crowd and producing some nice bouncy music.

Next up were Kagoule, who are a very young (17 years of age) three piece grunge/post punk band – 2 lads on drums & guitar/vocals and a lass on bass and are already proving to be an exciting new addition to the music scene. In a departure from my normal gig routine, another photographer and I had a short back stage shoot with the band.

FOTDP are a seven-piece funk band – 2 saxophones, a trumpet, keyboards, 2 guitars and drums make up this ensemble. No vocals as such so finding the focal point for shooting was tricky. However, concentrating on the instrument lead at the time seemed the way forward. They were a pretty good band – if you like to strut your funky stuff, try and catch them if they come again.

The 1975 – Credit: Julie Thompson

The 1975, supported by The NBHD and Wolf Alice, played the Music Hall in early February.

When I arrived, there were young folk queuing into Golden Square, and some of those at the head of the queue were wrapped in blankets after being waiting for some time.

First up was Wolf Alice, which is a four-piece alternative rock band with a female lead. The lights were really down low for this band, giving me a challenge.

The NBHD (also known as The Neighbourhood) are an alternative rock band from California, formed in 2011. The crowd at the Music Hall seemed pretty familiar with this second support act. For this band and the next, there were strobes and smoke machines – not my favourite combination.

Headlining the young trio of acts, The 1975 hail from Manchester and are an up and coming alternative/indie foursome whose debut album hit number 1 in the UK Album charts back in September last year.

Fronted by Matthew Healy, sporting a floppy Mohican, it was a surprising accomplished performance with Matthew having the stage presence you’d expect from the lead. They are no boy band and they don’t stick to single instruments – swapping between guitar & keyboard, or adding in a sax solo and they seem to enjoy what they do – which shows in their performance.

Their highest charting single, Chocolate, reached 19 in the charts last year. They will be playing at T in the Park along with The Isle of Wight, Reading & Leeds festivals in the summer.

Later in the month was The Answer at The Lemon Tree – signed to the same Agency as The 1975.

The Answer – Credit: Julie Thompson

The Answer is an Irish rock & blues band, formed in 2000 and, as well as supporting the likes of Deep Purple & Whitesnake, they toured with AC/DC in 2008/2009.

Their most recent album, New Horizon, was released last year.

They were supported by Scottish band Estrella, originally from Thurso but relocated to Aberdeen. They play 80’s style rock and have the look to match – entertaining and fun to shoot.

Coming up next – the second part of the Dod Morrison interview, along with Indian Red Lopez at the Peacock Visual Arts Centre, Kid Canaveral at The Tunnels and March of the Mods.

More Photos:

Federation of the Disco Pimp (FOTDP)
Kagoule
Marionettes
The 1975
The NBHD
Woof Alice
The Answer
Estrella
The Beards
Massive Horse

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Deborah Bonham- New Album Spirit & Scottish Dates

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Mar 182014

Deborah Bonham launches her new album, Spirit, with some Scottish dates. A supporter of Aberdeenshire’s Willows Animal Sanctuary and lifelong animal lover, Deborah has dates in Dumfries (Friday 21 March http://www.thevenuedumfries.co.uk) and Kinross (Saturday 22 March http://www.mundellmusic.com/). With thanks to Suzanne Kelly.

The spirit in the songs and music of Deborah Bonham draws on the hurt, pain, joy and anger that come with life for all of us. Negatives are decanted as positivity, from mistakes comes learning.

From that spirit comes the determination to always push forward and celebrate life, sharing experiences with her audience.

As she sings in the opening salvo from the album: “Pain is going away, it’s gonna stop today. I’m gonna fly”. So there could be only one title for the new album: ‘SPIRIT’

But Deborah also has soul. It’s the soul that comes from her deep love and understanding of so many musical greats – Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George and many more – all of whom are artists who surrounded themselves with great musicians who had that same ‘feel’.

And so it is with Deborah’s band. It’s also their instinctive affinity with the words being sung and how they absorb her emotions; sometimes soft, sometimes fierce.

Recorded at a highly charged, personally emotional time in Chichester UK and Nashville USA, Deborah instinctively channeled all that was going on in her life into the sessions, which she co-produced with Glenn Skinner (Deborah Harry, Killing Joke), who also manned the desk for her last album, ‘Duchess’.

On Drums is Marco Giovino (Robert Plant’s Band of Joy, John Cale, Norah Jones).

Marco flew in especially from Nashville to record the drums in a Chapel local to Deborah and she then joined him in Nashville to finish the recording and mix with Mike Poole (Band of Joy, Rickie Lee Jones) and master with Jim DeMain (Michael McDonald, John Hiatt).

Pedal steel supremo B.J.Cole also guests together with a special guest appearance from Robert Plant on harmonica, whilst the remainder of the musicians are her long-time, forceful working band – including bassist Ian Rowley, keyboardist Gerard Louis, and guitarist Peter Bullick.

Embracing more than ever before the bands’ rootsy-Americana influences of the likes of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Little Feat, ‘Spirit’ seamlessly travels through Deborah’s songbook of original compositions, alongside two co-written with John Hogg (Moke, Hookah Brown – with the Black Crowes’ Rich Robinson) and ‘Painbirds’, written by the late Mark Linkous and originally recorded by Sparklehorse for their debut album.

In the same way that Hendrix made Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along The Watchtower’ his own and as did Joe Cocker with The Beatles’ ‘A Little Help From My Friends’, Deborah Bonham and band firmly stamp their identity on this stunningly powerful song.

Elsewhere on the album, mandolin, cello and dobro weave throughout ‘Fly’ (co-written with John Hogg and Simon Sessler) and the irresistible ‘Take Me Down’ the first single to be released and a ReverbNation Rock Chart Number One – twice – which is perhaps reminiscent of The Eagles’ ‘Take It Easy’ but more intriguingly, uses a recurring lyrical theme in Deborah’s work – that of the mercurial nature of the rivers and the seas, to heal or devour.

Throughout, Deborah’s sympathetic band sear, coax, blend, sweeten, compliment, rock and groove

The Cajun stomp of ‘What It Feels’ builds on Marco Giovino’s percussive box of tricks, giving way to a harmonica solo from Robert Plant, that delivers in the most concise way and not heard perhaps since Led Zeppelin’s ‘Custard Pie’.

The Byrds-esque ‘I Won’t Let You Down’ follows before a sultry, hot n sticky atmosphere permeates ‘Good Times’ and there are echoes of Christine McVie and Bonnie Bramlett sweetly lingering in Deborah’s delivery of album closer, ‘Lay Me Down’.

Perhaps the most tellingly autobiographical song is ‘Spirit In Me’. If there is a defining song of this albums’ genesis and attitude, then this is it – lovingly dressed with B.J Cole’s sympathetic, yet playful pedal steel performance.

Throughout, Deborah’s sympathetic band sear, coax, blend, sweeten, compliment, rock and groove, proving (if proof be needed) why Paul Rodgers would have them as his band of choice for recent shows drawn entirely from his catalogue of legendary songs by Free.

This Deborah Bonham ‘live’ band also includes drummer Rich Newman (Sam Brown, Steve Marriott, Rory Gallagher) and the band have showcased several of the new songs in recent months, including the show-stopping, classic Bonham blues rock ballad, ‘I Need Love’ at Festivals and shows in the UK and Europe: The Great British Rock & Blues Festival, the massive Harley-Davidson European H.O.G. Rallies in France, Austria and Portugal and The Great British Folk Festival, where, even in the bands’ stripped-down acoustic format, the songs connected with the audience.

And why? Because they all see and feel the SPIRIT.

www.deborahbonham.com

Tarland Welcomes Fiery Danish Folk Duo

Aberdeenshire, Featured, Gigs and Concerts No Responses »

Feb 272014

A very special collaboration is happening in three North East town this month. With thanks to Shona Donaldson.

Danish folk duo Rannok are making the trip to Scotland for joint concert’s with well-known traditional fiddler Paul Anderson and singer Shona Donaldson.

While studying at The Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Southern Denmark, Michael Graubæk and pianist Theis Langlands started the Rannok duo, playing what has been described as ‘a masterly blend of fiery folk music, authentic traditional tunes, and original compositions which give that contemporary touch’.

Rannok released their first album in 2010, dedicating it to both the Danish folk music tradition and to innovation.

Since then the duo have played at venues and festivals in Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and all over Scotland, where they have met with particular audience approval. In fact Rannok’s first album was partly financed by Scottish fans who thought it high time they produced a cd.

“When we are composing our own music”, Michael says,

“we are influenced by the traditional sound of Danish music and the Scots as well. Theis is married to a Scots girl and has lived in Scotland, so we know the music. A couple of hundred years back, the Danish and British traditions were closer than they are today, and that’s the sound we’re aiming for”.

Paul Anderson, who is based in Tarland is already something of a legend in the time honoured fiddle tradition of Scotland. During his competitive career he won most of the traditional fiddle championships in Scotland and in 1995 won Scotland’s premier fiddling event ‘The Glenfiddich Scottish Fiddle Championship’. A regular on TV and radio, Paul has recorded 9 solo album and guested on over 40 CD’s.

Hailing from Huntly but now living in Deeside Shona Donaldson is one of Scotland’s best known young traditional singers. In 2009 she won the coveted Scots Singer of the Year Award at the Scots Traditional Music Awards. She has a particular enthusiasm for the songs of the North East and as well as singing plays the fiddle.

The collaboration between two of Denmark’s most acclaimed musicians and two of Scotland’s best known traditional musicians is certainly not to be missed. It promises to be a great night of music and song!

Rannok, Paul Anderson and Shona Donaldson will be appearing at Tarland Primary School in Tarland on Friday 14th March and the concert starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £7.

On Saturday 15th March Rannok will be leading a music workshop in the Village Hall in Braemar at 2pm and all instruments are welcome to learn from two of Denmark’s most acclaimed musicians. The workshop will cost £10.

The concert in Braemar will be in The Village Hall at 7.30pm and tickets are £7.

On Sunday 15th Rannok will again be leading a workshop in The Gordon Arms Hotel in Huntly at 2pm with all instruments welcome and it is £10.

The concert on Sunday night will be in The Gordon Arms Hotel, Huntly at 7.30pm and tickets are £7 on the door.

Links:

Rannok
Paul Anderson

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Variety Show Returns With Scotland’s Only Blind Comedian

Aberdeen City, Information No Responses »

Feb 212014

With thanks to DV Press.

Popular variety show The Drummond Varieties returns to Aberdeen next week, hosted by local magician Eoin Smith.

Featuring the best in music, magic and comedy from around the North East of Scotland, along with a delicious one-course meal, the show will take place in Belmont Street’s Café Drummond at 8pm on Wednesday 26 February.

Headlining the show is Scotland’s only blind comedian, Neil Skene.

Blind since he was a teenager, Neil has trekked to Everest base camp, bagged over 65 Munros in Scotland, and run the London Marathon. These days he faces an even tougher challenge though… making a room full of strangers laugh!

With quick wit and brilliant humour, Neil is a fantastic comedian who is sure to raise the Drummond Varieties roof.

Also appearing are premier improv group Wildly Unprepared. A hit with The Drummond Varieties audience following their appearance last year, Wildly Unprepared will be taking more of the audience’s suggestions and turning them into hilarious sketches.

Rounding out the line-up are blues-rockers Strange Skies, who will be playing a special stripped-back acoustic performance, and promising Irish comedian Lee Brophy.

The Drummond Varieties is hosted by Aberdonian magician Eoin Smith. He said:

“We’ve been working hard to bring some amazing acts to The Drummond Varieties stage. This first show of the year looks set to be really strong, with some of my favourite performers from around the North East of Scotland taking part.”

The Drummond Varieties is a monthly showcase of amazing variety and cabaret acts held in Aberdeen city centre. Entrance to the show also includes a delicious one-course meal. Previous acts include Team America lead puppeteer Scott Land, comedian and radio DJ John McRuvie, magician Garry Seagraves and ventriloquist Tiffer Robertson.

The Drummond Varieties takes place in Cafe Drummond, Belmont Street on Wednesday 26 February 2014 and is suitable for over 18s. Doors open at 8pm. Entrance to The Drummond Varieties costs £7 and includes a delicious one-course meal. Entrance without food is £5. Tickets available on the door.

For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/thedrummondvarieties

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Kirk Brandon: The Moorings Bar – Sun 9th March

Aberdeen City, Featured, Information No Responses »

Feb 142014

Kirk Brandon will be appearing in Aberdeen on Sunday 9th of March as part of his aKoustiK nights 2014 tour. With thanks to Hen Beverly.

Kirk Brandon is the voice of Spear of Destiny, Theatre of Hate and Dead Men Walking. With over 15 studio albums and countless single releases, his career now spans well over 30 years.

He has enjoyed worldwide success with all three of the above bands and is also a leader in every punk rock poll by being the singer and songwriter in The Pack.

Over the last 8 years, Kirk has released five solo acoustic studio albums (the Dutch Masters series) that have pulled tracks from all eras of his career, these albums have featured many of the people he has worked with and collaborated with over the years including Derek Forbes, Slim Jim Phantom & Clint Boon.

The latest of these solo acoustic albums entitled Dutch Masters Volume Five has become, in it’s first year of release, the best seller in the series.

DM5 features two outstanding Theatre of Hate interpretations, a James Bond theme and a Country & Western cover of a Ry Cooder tune.

Kirk has spent his Christmas break preparing a brand new solo show for 2014, even some of his best known tracks (Never Take Me Alive, Do You Believe In The Westworld? & Young Men) have been dusted off and given a given a good spruce up.

The aKoustiK nights 2014 tour kicks off in Brighton on February 20th and ends in at the beautiful Hermon Chapel in Oswestry on March 15th.

Joining Kirk on all these dates will be long time friend Dave Sharp. Dave, best known as guitarist, songwriter and sometime vocalist of The Alarm, will be show -casing a selection of songs that cover his thirty plus year career.

“Kirk Brandon is one of the UK’s most underrated songwriters and ‘Omega Point’ is a fine addition to his arsenal of epic albums” – Vive le Rock! Magazine.

“Kirk Brandon is on of the UK’s best kept secrets” – Mojo

“@kirkbrandon is one of our greatest musical geniuses” – BBC’s Jeremy Vine

“Spear of Destiny are criminally underrated and are one of Britain’s best, Boys Own, punch the air, grandiose Rock’nRoll bands” – John Robb’s Louder Than War

“Brandon’s vocal is fuller, it is more powerful, it is more tuneful. But what impresses me more is his total clarity; not only vocally but his overall performance – he lives, breathes, screams, shakes these songs out of his body. At times he appears to be in the throws of an exorcism, bent double and shuddering rhythmically” – gettotthefront.co.uk

Links:

www.kirkbrandon.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kirk-Brandon/35405326217
www.davesharp.org
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dave-Sharp/43087293724

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Pete Seeger – A Legend

Creative Writing, Opinion 1 Response »

Feb 072014

By Bob Smith.

Last wikk we lost a legend
Pete Seeger wis his name
The chiel he wis aged 94
Fin oot wis snuffed his flame
.
Awa back in his young’r days
The lad he wis a commie
Atween him an yon McCarthy
There wisnae much bonhomie
.
A folk singer o warld renown
An an activist forbye
Supportit the Spanish Republicans
In a war far mony wid die
.
A singer fa fair protestit
The arms race an Vietnam war
He supportit the Civil Richts
An wis agin the colour bar
.
His singer sister Peggy
She mairrit Ewan MacColl
A bet at faimily githerins
They wid hae hid a ball

A freen o Woody Guthrie
An a early backer o Dylan
Fin Bob wint aa “electric”
Pete didna fin es thrillin
.
A lover o the environment
Tae es life he wis a giver
An got thingies fair stairted
Tae clean up the Hudson River
.
A ca’ed the chiel a legend
O es a hiv nae doot
A singer o folk sangs
An an activist tae boot
.
Seeger, Guthrie an Dylan
Protest lyrics wis their thing
Sangs fer the common man
Wis fit es three did bring
.
.
.
.
©Bob Smith “The Poetry Mannie” 2014

Pete_Seeger2_-_6-16-07_Photo_by_Anthony_Pepitone.jpg
licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
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Musings Of A Not So New Music Photographer No.11

Aberdeen City, Featured, Opinion No Responses »

Feb 042014

Julie Thompson continues her series on photographing bands in Aberdeen taking in Terry McDermott & The Bonfires, Amy Sawers, Craig John Davidson & Innes Cardno at The Lemon Tree, Toxik Ephex at The Moorings, and Iron Broo at The Beach Ballroom.

Craig John Davidson – Credit: Julie Thompson

The last of my three Lemon Tree events between Christmas and New Year was to shoot Terry McDermott and the Bonfires, along with his supports Amy Sawers and Craig John Davidson with Innes Cardno.

A queue had formed outside The Lemon Tree when I arrived. Some had come over from the USA especially for this gig – they were big Terry McDermott fans.

I also bumped into Matt Jolly’s dad – who is also a big Craig John Davidson fan.

Craig John Davidson took to the stage to start the evening, along with Innes Cardno. Craig was excellent as ever but Innes was new to me and what a revelation the two of them together was – quite amazing. Craig alone is an incredible guitarist, but the two together were musical manna with Innes weaving lovely melodies around Craigs vocals and guitar.

Amy Sawers was the next act on stage.

This was my first time seeing her on stage (previously I’ve only seen her in one of the Old Granite Whistle Test sets in HMV). She has a fantastic, powerful voice and big dark eyes.

Her eyes were usually open as she played and she looked around and made eye contact with the photographers (well, their cameras).

So many guitarist look down at their hands, which can make catching an open eyed shot a challenge.

I’ve found that eye contact from a performer can often lead to intense images that can make the back of the neck tingle.

Aberdonian Terry McDermott – who was runner up on Season 3 of The Voice, a US talent show and has become a big name over there – was back in his home city to coincide with his new single release; ‘Lose this Feeling’, and to Headline at the New Year’s ‘Gig at the Brig 2013’ in Ellon.

Terry was previously with the Aberdeen band, Driveblind. Today he was singing with his band, The Bonfires – a mixture of American and British musicians.

By the time Terry & his band took to the stage, the place was pretty packed, with the Americans fans front and center against the pit wall.

Also along to shoot this gig were Matt Jolly, George Mackie, Dod Morrison and Andy Thorn.

I had a quick word with Captain Tom before Terry came on, as I wanted to see if I could shoot some images from the crowd later on, after the pit session was over.

Terry was actually quite good to shoot – he was active and made good eye contact with those there to take the photos.

I enjoyed the shoot and his performance and the crowd loved the show, his new single going down very well with them.

I had a stupid novice problem later on, outside the pit. When I was taking my camera out of my bag I must have knocked the autofocus switch to off.

I didn’t notice at first; I just thought my eyes were tired. Anyway I missed a few, but luckily not too many, good photo opportunities due to that mistake, so mental note to self – take more care and always check the autofocus switch is on!

Terry and his band had a busy night planned, as it happens – during his set he announced that they were playing again a little later that evening.

After the signings and chatting at the Lemon Tree, they were off to play an acoustic gig at Korova on Bridge Street.

At the end, I managed to swipe a set list that Terry was kind enough to sign, as an addition to my memento drawer.

I remember, some time ago, asking George Mackie if he’d photographed anyone well known – Iron Maiden, Paul Weller & Katy Perry were some of the names he mentioned.

He has also been at the X-Factor shows when they visit and was recently at the AECC for Boyzone.

I asked if there was anyone he applied for and was gutted when he got a refusal:

“I wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of knowing. I still get rejections of photo pass applications, but not so many these days.”

His travels for music photography are somewhat limited by him being self employed – he single-handedly runs his football related business and can’t just take off for days on end whenever he wants – so he mainly reserves his trips for the summer when the festivals are on.

Wickerman is his favourite and was the first he got a pass for:

“My kind of music with my kind of people in attendance”

Belladrum is another favourite, mostly because there is so much going on. It’s a family friendly festival and great for candid/street style photography, another of his interests.

I asked if there anything he wished he’d known when he first started:

“Possibly to shoot in RAW, but fast action photography needs the best equipment to process the digital files. At the time I could capture sudden movement more precisely by pressing the shutter whilst saving as jpeg files. I’ve never been a fan of rapid shooting as you then lose the precision and control over what is captured.”

Last question, George, honest! Any tips you’d like to share?

“Start with small shows in dark rooms, you’ll learn the functions of your camera better.”

A couple of weeks on from the festive season and I was off to The Moorings to see Toxik Ephex.

Toxik (originally called The Abductors) are possibly one of Aberdeen’s longest surviving Punk bands going back, off and on, for some 35 years.
Having previously only caught the tail end of their last one in Downstairs @ The Malt Mill a few weeks back I was interested to see a full show.

Dod Morrison was, of course, there; in fact he was singing along in a mic at several points during the evening. Moorings house tog, Matt Jolly, was also
there.

Tonight I had decided to try a new thing. I had an event coming up the following week which needed me to be familiar with flash and I thought this would be a suitable venue and subject to use as a testing ground.

I’d played around with various settings during the support act but wasn’t really happy with the results, a dark background and flash lit washed-out subjects.

During the gap between support and main act, I put my thinking cap on, eventually coming up with a theory where I could fill-light the subjects so they look natural but also keep the ambient lighting visible. Still, proof of the pudding is in the result – having a theory is all very well – and so, with some trepidation, I set my camera to those theoretical settings and prepared to give it a try.

Another issue with using flash is that you have to wait between shots for the flash to recharge. It slows you down and makes you pick your images more carefully, so in some ways it is no bad thing. However, here’s a little tip – always carry spare batteries because flash recharge time increases as the batteries are used. Swap them out for fresh ones well before they go flat. Keep the old ones for reuse – they’ll still last a long time in a tv remote.

Looking for that special moment can be engrossing – which is why I ended up getting my camera accidentally smacked back into my eye. People are closer than you think when you’re looking at them through a wide angle lens.

I eventually ended up standing on the edge of the stage for a while to grab some close-up photos of Dod, the frontman, interacting with the crowd. This was an excellent position for the shots I was looking for, but the crowd closed in beneath leaving me effectively stranded for a while.

I think everyone there had a great time, the crowd was well natured and I was pretty pleased with the results from my flash experiment. I had a great night, despite the bruises.

The last event I’ll briefly mention was something new to me.

There was live music, yes, but this was of a different sort to the music I’ve usually been
encountering.

It was a Ceilidh – in this case a charity event to fundraise for ARCHIE – with Iron Broo and friends (Paul Anderson & Bob Knight) providing the music.

The event was a sell-out and the floor was so often packed that people had little room to dance.

It was fun to watch, a challenge to photograph and all for a great cause. I even learned a few new dances that night. Well done to all those involved in getting this event organised!

I’ve picked my next music photographer to talk to – Dod Morrison. He’s been shooting gigs for some years now and should have some interesting tales to tell.

More Photos:

Terry McDermott & The Bonfires
Amy Sawers
Craig John Davidson & Innes Cardno
Toxik Ephex
Ceilidh for ARCHIE

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