What's in a Name?

Imagine the late sixties and Robert Plant talking to Keith Moon of The Who saying that he was thinking of forming a new band with a folk/blues style to which Moon replied, "That'll go down like a lead zeppelin". And with that remark Led Zeppelin was born and of course the rest is history as they say.

Still  in the sixties and Ian Anderson together with Mick Abrahams, Glenn Cornick and Clive Bunker were playing the London club circuit with ever changing band names including "Navy Blue", "Ian Henderson's Bag o' Nails" and "Candy Coloured Rain". Band names were often supplied by booking agents' staff, one of whom, a history enthusiast, eventually christened the four piece" Jethro Tull" after an 18th century pioneer of British agriculture who helped bring about the Agricultural Revolution with his invention of a horse drawn seed drill and a horse drawn hoe.
 

There have been numerous bands who have come and gone over the years within the local Open Mic circuit and behind many of these band names there is often a story to be told. Some of you may remember: Urban Dreamer, Dead Moon Society, Maybe Tomorrow, Anything Goes, Band of the Cake Fairy. Brakedust, Robbie's in Rehab and Broken Routes and the unique aspect of Newport Open Mic is that it can provide a platform for not only solo artists but full bands as well. I recall, not so long ago, a NINE piece band called Under the Cocktail Bar on stage at the Open Mic session at the Royal Naval Association in Bellmans Yard (although admittedly I don't think we had a full band complement on that night). Almost as big a band however as Bellowhead (11 members) who happened to be performing in Warrington on Tuesday night and attracted some of our Open Mic regulars. Probably not much change out of £20 for that gig but for only £1 a sizeable audience in Newport heard some great live music provided by no less than 10 different acts.

Early doors and Dave Sanford treated us to a lovely rendition of John Martyn's "May You Never" before being joined on stage for an opening blues jam by the ever smiling Andy Clarke on bass, Olly Flavell and Jon Newton on drums. 

 

Richard Thomas performed a lively and varied set which included "Poison Ivy" originally recorded by The Coasters in 1959. One of my favourite cover versions of this song was done by the Stones in 1963. With Abba, Steve Earle and Gloria Gaynor also on his set list he couldn't fail to please.

Eddie Maiden has become a regular at Open Mic and as a vocalist it is not always possible to find a guitarist to accompany him unless Dave Whiteman is present. Away on his European travels however it was Tony Rodberg who stepped into the breach tonight and Eddie was in his element and had the audience singing along with "Delilah" and "Sweet Caroline" and even demonstrated a bit of a dance routine on stage. Still pretty agile for a man in his seventies.

A treat in store with Remynie Kiah accompanied by boyfriend Gaz Giles up next. Remynie is probably one of the best female vocalists you will hear around and would undoubtedly have The Voice panellists spinning in their chairs. Left handed Gaz on guitar played beautifully to Billy Bragg's "Birds and Ships" followed by "Girl With One Eye" by Florence and the Machine. "Bang Bang" however seemed to be the song that the crowd were waiting for and they were not to be disappointed when Alex Ash joined Remynie and Gaz on stage to sing the Sonny and Cher classic. Alex, if you didn't already know, it is a massive Cher fan sonhe came off the stage smiling like a Cheshire cat!

Nice to see Tony Rodberg tonight and together with Dave Blu, Olly on bass and Jon once again on drums we were treated to some classic rock and blues. Dave and Tony complemented one another perfectly playing lead and bottleneck guitar from "Route 66" to "Thrill is Gone" to "Honky Tonk Women",  just a part of a splendid 20 minute set.

A difficult one to follow but John Minor hardly seemed fazed at all, alone under the spotlight tonight playing guitar and singing songs by his favourite band Oasis. Well done John.

Olly Flavell was back on stage once again with Dave Blu and Jon Newton and the talented Tony Rodberg, this time on bass. A great up tempo foot tapping set which included "Johnny B Goode", "All Right Now" and "Hey Joe". Just when we thought it was all over Claire Shaw from Telford was a welcomed latecomer and our second female vocalist of the evening. Bob Dylan's song "To Make You Feel My Love" and of course covered by Adele brought the evening to a gentle close along with a lullaby written by Claire and Whitney Houston's "Your Love is My Love".

 

No unusual band names tonight but great live musical entertainment from a wealth of local talent.

 

Same time, same place next Tuesday - Newport Open Mic at the Royal Naval Association in Bellmans Yard.

 

KEEPING MUSIC LIVE!!

 

 

Report by Jude Paton. Photographs by Matthew Thomas

The music died because Buddy Holly merely wanted what every touring musician wants to do: the laundry. In an unheated buses on the “Winter Dance Party” tour in 1959, Holly, tired of travelling through the Midwest with dirty clothes, chartered a plane to fly from Clear Lake, Iowa, to Fargo, North Dakota where he hoped he could make an appointment with a washing machine. Joining him on the plane were Ritchie Valens and, after Waylon Jennings gave up his seat, “The Big Bopper.” The plane crashed in bad weather killing everyone on board. The toll was incalculable: the singers of “Peggy Sue” and “Donna” and “La Bamba” were dead. Holly was just 22, Valens just 17, Big Bopper 29. Rock and roll would never be the same.

Thirteen years later, Don McLean wrote a song about this tragedy: “American Pie,” an 8½ minute epic with an iconic lyric about “the day the music died.” Last week the original 16-page working manuscript of the lyrics was sold at auction for $1.2 million (over £800,000) and Don McLean at 70 has cut himself a slice of music history gaining third place in the highest price paid for lyrics behind Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" and Lennon's "A Day in the Life." 

 

I have heard "American Pie" sung on many occasions at Open Mic Sessions, sometimes all 800 words but more often a shortened version as time normally wouldn't allow for the full 8½ minutes. There are countless songs that have a story behind the lyrics. Pearl Jam's "Jeremy" is the sad tale of a High School student who shot himself in front of his classmates, there's Richard Thompson's "1952 Vincent Black Lightning", Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", Bobby Gentry's "Ode to Billie Joe" and a popular song at Open Mic "Up the Junction" by Squeeze. Life's experiences and life's tragedies recorded in words and music live on forever.

 

Unusually Tuesday's Open Mic session at the Royal Naval Association in Newport only had self penned songs from young Olly Flavell who was first in the spotlight and is a rising star of Open Mics and live music sessions all over the County. If you were to find yourself  walking alongside the Birmingham Canal Basin on a Sunday lunchtime then Olly's jazzy sound from any of the canalside pubs would not go amiss.

 

Alan Critchley from Wellington provided excellent vocals alongside a backing track and had everyone clicking their fingers to Roger Miller's "King of the Road". Dedicated to Sue in the audience, a song with a story behind it followed with Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" written about George Harrison's ex wife Pattie Boyd in 1976, while waiting for her to get ready to attend Paul and Linda McCartney's annual Buddy Holly party. Just to make sure there wasn't a dry eye left in the house Alan finished a lovely set with "You Are So Beautiful" by the late great Joe Cocker.

 

12 year old Jay Harris who took part in the Easter weekend Big Busk in Shrewsbury seems to have grown enormously in musical stature over the past few weeks. He rarely performs the same song over two or three consecutive weeks and this week was no exception. Pigeon Detective, Fallout Boy and Catfish and the Bottlemen are not the norm on an Open Mic playlist. Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" was more familiar territory for me and completed an excellent set.

 

Father and son Mike and Mikey Collins from Perton billed themselves as Mike's Grumpy Band and together with drummer Nigel Tidy couldn't go wrong with a storming version of Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark".  From Springsteen to Greenday to The Undertones to Wilson Pickett........you couldn't wish for greater diversity in a set.

 

Paul Crewe was our man AND comedian on the sound desk, but took his seat on the drum stool with Lost the Plot alongside Ed Conway whose 50th birthday is only days away and Simon Mann on bass and "trumpet". Smiles all round and first class entertainment from these three as always, in disguise as Frank, Bob and Sid in the hitherto unknown band Clunk the Pigeon. "Video Killed the Radio Star" a one hit wonder by Buggles, "I Wanna Be Like You" from Jungle Book, "Daydream Believer" complete with dance routine and "Delilah"......a great choice of songs from these lads.

 

Always good to see the multi-talented Rich Evans at the Navy and once again diversity was the name of the game effortlessly going from Bob Marley to Neil Sedaka to the Commodores. Just a tiny fraction of his huge repertoire.

 

Claire Shaw, a talented singer/songwriter from Telford performed 4 covers in her own  unique style with George Ezra's "Blame it on Me" followed by a real crowd pleaser with the sizeable audience joining in with "Sweet Caroline". Once more a sizeable audience with several new faces at Tuesday's Open Mic stayed to hear the closing bars of "Whiskey in the Jar".

 

A tremendous night of live music. Same place, same time next week at the Royal Naval Association in Bellman's Yard. Newport Open Mic....don't miss it and KEEP MUSIC LIVE.

 

 

There was a Happy Easter in Shrewsbury from the roof of St Chads and through the streets of our county town when, over a warm and sunny Bank Holiday weekend, around 300 musicians performed during the third annual Big Busk. The event came about as a tribute to musician and artist Ben Bebbington who died aged 43 from head injuries after being attacked on a footpath in Ditherington in 2012. The 2 day Big Busk has grown into one of the most popular events on the town’s calendar and there at the front of a massive crowd of buskers was 12 year old Jay Harris, a regular and great supporter of The Newport Open Mic.

Starting out as a busker on the streets of Toronto in the sixties probably the best female singer/songwriter ever is Canadian born Joni Mitchell now recovering in hospital having been found unconscious at her home in Los Angeles just over a week ago. Joni too is an artist and musician of extraordinary talent whose lyrics divulged her innermost fears and pain and how the loss of a lover leaves you feeling "The bed's too big, the frying pan's too wide" - sheer poetry from the song "My Old Man" from one of my favourite albums "Blue". 

At the age of 8, she contracted polio which affected her fingers, and consequently she had to devise dozens of alternative tunings of her own in her song writing and playing in what she calls "Joni's weird chords".

No weird chords for Jim Paton at this week's Newport Open Mic, in fact no chords at all for Jim who was first up to sing a capella songs by Rick Kemp, bass player with Steeleye Span and Ben Watt, best known as one half of the duo Everything But The Girl. Jim brought complete hush to the room with his version of Watt's song "The Night I Heard Caruso Sing." As he said himself "It makes a change from jazz and blues and rock and roll".

18 year old Olly Flavell brought us a set of original songs in his own unique jazzy funk style. If you imagine yourself sitting in Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho then a session from Olly would certainly not go amiss there. 

 

Definitely a night for our young singer/songwriters with young Dan Walton back in Newport from university for the Easter break, and at The Open Mic for the second week running. Dan has moved away from his blues roots of Clapton, Blind Faith and Hendrix and with only one cover,  the Gorillaz'  "Feel Good Inc".  Dan's originals were outstanding especially "Shadow of the Mountain". 

Sand Kumar, Scott Thompson and drummer Cameron Pierce upped the tempo and the decibels with their band Ricochet up next. Always good to see these lads and their stage presence is that of sheer enthusiasm and enjoyment. Once again 4 originals from this band and for me their last song "Left Hand Blues" written just a fortnight ago and practiced in the car-park before its first airing tonight was excellent. Great to see you back lads.

Another prolific songwriter from Telford was next up on stage, Claire Shaw, surprising us with her opening number, a lovely acoustic version of The Monkees "Daydream Believer". Whitney Houston's "My Love Is Your Love" a song she learnt just 2 days previously was delightful and together with an original "I Hope" and George Ezra's "Blame It On Me" Claire brought an excellent set to the Open Mic stage. It's well worthwhile checking out Claire's recent live acoustic session at Hey Jude's on you tube filmed by regular Open mic photographer Matt Thomas. You can also catch Olly and Rich Evans on you tube at the same venue. 

Dylan Evans, also back from university, arrived with mandolin tonight. This young man delivers music and song in a unique style and has an outstanding voice which has developed into something quite special. He was ready to make a quick getaway after only 2 songs on the mandolin saying he couldn't do any more as his guitar was broken. Fortunately Newport Open Mic can provide house bass, acoustic and electric guitars as well as a full drum kit and cahon, so there is no escape should you turn up without an instrument! A final song from Dylan as the acoustic guitar was passed to him, was met with enthusiastic applause from his friends in the corner and the rest of the assembled crowd.

The evening finished as it started, unusually with a second set a capella, this time from Alex Ash. Usually fronting Vinyl Tap, Alex claimed to be quite nervous in the spotlight on his own, but he is a man with big presence and a big voice to match and "Through the Barricades" from one of his favourite bands Spandau Ballet soon put him at ease, and with a powerful encore of Frankie's "Power of Love" an evening of live music at the Royal Naval Association in Bellman's Yard was brought to a close.

Same time, 8pm, same place next Tuesday. Until then KEEP IT LIVE!

A reminder that there is a Charity Night at the Royal Naval Association on Friday 24th April with music by Olly Flavell, Thom Morecroft and T-Live winner Melissa Severn and many more. Tickets are £5 in advance from Hey Jude's in Newport Indoor Market otherwise £7 on the door or call 07772239769.

Plenty of new faces at the Navy. Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Matthew Thomas

It looks like 2015 is going to be a very big year for live music in the UK. Apart from the obvious large festivals, Glastonbury and our own V Festival just down the road at Weston Park, the big guns are out and looking to fill stadiums…….as well as their pockets. Superstar groups on the road include U2, Fleetwood Mac and Take That, but if you want tickets you had better be quick, as even the large venues are selling out fast. A couple of divisions below these  you will find a wealth of talent hitting the smaller places, bands such as Simple Minds, Santana, 10cc and my personal favourites Squeeze who are playing the Birmingham Symphony Hall in October.

Slightly better value at only a quid, why not get yourselves down to the Royal Naval Association in Bellman’s Yard on a Tues evening for the Newport Open mic? This week a crowd of around 50 enjoyed performances from about a dozen live acts and what a brilliant evening it turned out to be.

John Minor once again kicked off proceedings with a bit of Oasis before the welcome return of Jay Harris, who has been busy playing live all over the place. A great set included a classic from The Jam and a very catchy ‘Second Bite of the Apple’ from Beady Eye. Good to have you back Jay!

What about a bit of Elvis Costello, Gloria Gaynor, Proclaimers and even The Village People…..all played on a ukulele? Richard Thomas is normally the one to make the audience raise the eyebrows, but he is always, repeat always entertaining!
One of the great young bands from the last 2 or 3 years was a three piece called Blue Tuesdays. Sadly the band have now split with members off to university and the like, but lead singer Dan Walton made a solo appearance at the club with just an acoustic guitar for company and what a super set it was. Songs from Dylan and Damian Albarn were well received, but his own composition ‘Wandering Man’ was quite superb and deservedly got the most applause.
Dan then stayed onstage to join the first Scratch House Band; the part of the evening where musicians just get up and play without rehearsal or sometimes without even knowing who they are playing with!  Bassist Mark Berry from Telford, had heard about the Open Mic from taking his sons to Rock Project, but he was happy to join up with like- minded musicians Keenan Collins and our own Remynie Faith for a brilliant debut performance. Crowd pleasers ‘Mustang Sally’ and ‘Honky Tonk Women’ had the crowd joining in enthusiastically.
Will Morgan runs an acoustic Open Mic evening at Brewood and had heard about Newport Open Mic on the musical grapevine. Clearly Will has a lot of experience and as he launched into a Johnny Cash opener, the audience were clapping their hands and singing along. A beautiful version of Springsteen’s ‘Ballad of Tom Joad’ followed and he showed his musical prowess by playing a haunting harmonica over lovely guitar picking. Clearly Will enjoyed his first time at the club and the audience responded by demanding an encore………. a sure sign that we will be seeing more of him.

Graveyard shift and time for Rob Bryon and Laurence Gale to entertain the late stayers with a popular set of songs from Ronnie Lane, Eric Clapton and The Faces and then just when we thought it was all over, Eddie Maiden was on stage  to send us off home with a couple of popular singalongs ringing  in our heads.  Eddie has just returned from Spain, where I know he has been singing in the Palladium in Benidorm and his choice of songs from Tom Jones and Neil Diamond seemed the perfect way to end the night.

 It does seem that we have turned a corner at the Newport Open Mic as far as attendances are concerned, and not only are these up around the fifty mark again, but many of these are visiting for the first time.

Grateful thanks as always, to those who turned up at 7pm to help set up and those who stayed till late to put the kit away…you help to make the Newport open Mic what it is.

Please remember, if you want to play, sing, recite poetry or even play the spoons, come on down on a Tuesday and have a go. If you would like to contribute in any other way, perhaps taking photographs, setting up the kit or even writing these articles, you would be made very welcome. Come and introduce yourself!  Till next time, keep it live!

Old and new faces at The Navy.  Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Matthew Thomas

One of my favourite publications ever, was a music magazine called ‘Q’, started in 1986 by David Hepworth and Mark Ellen.  It was always a fantastic read, and I like many thousands of others, never got rid of the hundreds of back copies which still adorn the shelves of my ‘man room’. I picked up an old copy the other evening from around 1993 and enjoyed an article about a new female artist who had just toured as a backing singer with Michael Jackson and the article went on to predict a great future for her. Her debut album, Tuesday Night Music Club was a smash and she went on to sell more than 50 million albums worldwide. Her name? Sheryl Crow and the journalist must look back now and think ‘I told you so!’ given that so many artists in the same publication were tipped for great things but disappeared without trace.

I have repeatedly sung the praises of some of our young local talent and it will be interesting to see if I am proved right, but this week it was time for the ‘old uns’ at the Newport Open Mic. Icebreaker this week was John Minor who found himself without guitar or keyboards, but no matter. There are plenty of experienced musicians who will accompany singers and John soon warmed up the crowd with a great version of ‘Wonderwall’.

Neil WiIlday hasn’t been around for quite a while but it was great to see him back on stage with his band Diamond Geezer. Seasoned pros Roger Clark on guitar and Al Middleton on bass were joined by birthday boy drummer Baz Webster…..60 years old but don’t tell anyone! A lively set included classic ‘Whisky in the Jar’ and the crowd could sense we were in for a super evening.

We have seen bassist Mick Keefe many times at the club, but this week he gave us a preview of his new band Kakuma and what a treat it was.  Singer guitarist Olugbala Kakuma and drummer Ken Champken may have been only a three piece but their authentic reggae soon had the dance floor full…a remarkable achievement so early in the evening. Olugbala certainly looks the part with his 18 inch dreadlocks, but he has the super voice to match. Gregory Isaacs ‘Night Nurse’ was my favourite from a superb set.

It must be about a year ago that popular singer guitarist Martyn Templeton upped sticks with his family and moved to Abu Dhabi. Back for just a short visit, he borrowed a guitar and wowed the club once again with his effortless vocals. ‘Pebbles on the Beach’ by Paul Weller, has for a long time been one his excellent repertoire, but it was ‘ Bad Leroy Brown’ that had the crowd singing along and demanding more. Hope to see you again soon, Martyn.

One man who has made the jump from Open Mic hopeful to regular gigging is Rich Evans, and it is plain to see why. He always was a good singer and guitarist, but he has now added a great stage presence to the mix. He also knows how to get the audience onside and his opener, an 80’s classic from Jilted John proved that everyone remembered the refrain!

Time for a bit of a reunion, with Baz Webster back up on stage with the band ‘Robbie’s in Rehab’. The band probably only play a couple of gigs a year, never rehearse or practice, but when they get together the musical sparks still fly. Set closer ‘Money for Nothing’ highlighted brilliant guitar from veteran Roger Clark.

Another Rich, this time Rich Thomas equipped only with his ukulele, and if you have never heard punk/thrash metal played this way, come on down for a listen! Always something original from Richard.

Alex Ash is the singer with local band Vinyl Tap, but having recruited yours truly as backing guitarist he showed how good he can be with just a stripped down accompaniment. James Taylor’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ had many reaching for their tissues…….excellent stuff.

Putting in the graveyard shift this week was Telford’s Claire Shaw, who is, in my opinion, one of the best local singer songwriters around. It must have been getting on for 11pm and the time when many people are thinking of heading for home, but no-one moved from their seat as her lovely vocal filled the room. Songs from Birdy and The Vamps were very good, but once again it was an original composition that pinned my ears back, ‘Heavy Heart’. Claire may not achieve the same heights as Sheryl Crow, but believe me when I tell you she has the talent to go far.

So once again another brilliant evening of live music at the Newport Open Mic. None of it is possible however without the hard work of the regular supporters. So if you feel that you would like to make a contribution to what is already a superb local music scene, whether it is humping and dumping equipment, helping with the sound or even writing articles such as this, your input is very important to us….have a word with anyone at the club.

Till next week, keep it live!

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