A Great Night of Live Music

Looking back over the last 50 years there have been some iconic albums in the charts but who would imagine back then that songs from those albums are still sung and played regularly at Open Mic sessions today.  Paul Weller's album "Stanley Road" released 20 years ago included the song "You Do Something to Me" a favourite 90s ballad for people who "don't do ballads and definitely don't  cry" and from the Modfather himself. 1985 and Dire Straits' "Brothers in Arms" was the first album released on to the CD market selling over 1,000,000 copies in this format. We all remember Mark Knopfler's National style O resonator on the front cover and of course the track "Walk of Life". Skin tingling songs from singer/songwriter Kate Bush too had "Hounds of Love" in the charts in the same year and Kate was the first woman to have a self penned number one hit "Wuthering Heights" seven years earlier at the age of 19. 1980 brought  AC/DC's Back in Black soaring into the charts following the death of Bon Scott to be replaced by Geordie, Brian Johnson. 2015 sees the 40th Anniversary of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" which included the 13 minute long "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" a tribute to Syd Barrett who had left the band following a mental breakdown. The Beatles last album "Let It Be" released in 1970 with "Two Of Us", "Get Back" and of course the title track often heard at Open Mic sessions. Astonishingly a sealed boxed copy of that album sold on ebay in 2009 for just over £6,500!! Might be worth checking if there is a boxed copy in your loft at home. 

 

Tuesday's Open Mic at the Royal Naval Association in Newport promised to be a busy night with a large contingent coming over from Gnosall and Staffordshire, many of whom are heard regularly at The Oak Open Mic on a Thursday night. An early start had the first scratch band of the evening getting us under way with Dave Sanford, Olly Flavell, Andy Clark and Matt Miles delivering a lovely blues set and Dave's self penned "Black Country Boy" which he played superbly with Olly setting the standard for the evening.

 

Matt Miles and Rob Brown are proving ever more popular as an acoustic duo and once again their set list really complimented their beautiful harmonies with Stereophonics, The Beatles, Foo Fighters and Crowded House being an excellent choice and what strong lead vocals from Matt.  

Dream Ticket are a 4 piece band and what a treat we had in store with Andy Appleby on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Aaron Beardsmore on lead guitar, Nick Wells on upright bass and Martin Jacks on cahon and backing vocals. The Beatles "Come Together" and the line "he come groovin' up slowly" pretty much summed up a terrific chilled, laid back set with the intro to 7 Nation Army perfect for the bass and a wonderful rendition of Adele's Skyfall from the 23rd and most recent James Bond film completing a fine performance from Dream Ticket. I hope they will pay us another visit before too long.

 

 

Soundman Jon Newton is always happy to leave his station to play drums and together with Dave "Blu", Olly and Jude drove the 2nd scratch house band of the evening along with "Crossroads" from the Delta Bluesman Robert Johnson, the laid back boogie feel of JJ Cale's "After Midnight" and classic 12 bar blues with Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode. Always great fun for those getting together unrehearsed on stage and likewise for the audience.

 

It's been too long since The Magpies have played at Newport Open Mic so a warm reception awaited Tony Rodberg, who turned 60 at the beginning of the week, and Martin Jacks both on guitars and vocals aided and abetted by Matt Miles and Nick Wells on drums and bass. BB King's "Thrill is Gone" and the R&B standard "Route 66" are always crowd pleasers but The Who's "Substitute" and Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb"  had the audience singing along word for word and demonstrates the staying power of these classic songs for those who remember them first time round and for those who are perhaps hearing them for the first time decades later.

 

Remynie-Kiah  and Gaz Giles have been rehearsing for a few weeks and last Tuesday we finally saw them together on stage  and immediately we knew we were in for something special from this talented young pair. The audience were spellbound from the start and with Jose Gonzalez' "Heartbeat" as their opening song there was a hush around the busy room. Remynie's vocals are hauntingly stunning. Gaz's accompaniment on guitar perfectly complimented her vocals and Cher's song "Bang Bang" written almost 50 years ago by her then husband Sonny Bono would have had the panellists in The Voice spinning in their chairs. "Girl With One Eye" by Florence and the Machine brought an all too short set to a close but judging by the response Rem and Gaz will be back soon.

 

Laurence Gale and Rob Bryon were joined tonight by Dave Sanford on mandolin for their set, perfect for Ronnie Lane's "How Come" and "Up the Junction" by Squeeze. Great to see Laurence and Rob performing more regularly at the Navy Club stage. Talking of squeeze, time left for a few songs from Andy Appleby alongside Magpies, Tony and Martin and Nick Wells on bass. Stray Cats, Soft Cell and Pink Floyd with a great version of "Money" were a good choice and with a bit of gentle persuasion Matt Miles and Rob Brown brought a splendid evening of live and varied music to a close with "Mrs Robinson".

 

So in celebration of the anniversaries of some of the greatest albums going back 20, 30, 40 and 50 years those appearing on Open Mic stages across the country continue to play tribute to some great musicians as well as bringing a wealth of original material to the live music stage. A splendid night of musical entertainment on a Tuesday night in Newport.

 

 A reminder that there is an Open Mic session every Thursday at the Royal Oak in Gnosall and recently started there is Open Mic at the Bell Inn Ham and Eggery on the A5 every other Monday, the next one being on 9th March.

 

Till next time KEEP IT LIVE.

 

 

 

 

Bringing on back the good times at the Navy! 

 Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Laurence Gale

 

Just last month, the weekly Open Mic at the Navigation Inn,  Gnosall, finished, as the landlord and landlady Steve and Carol left for pastures new. It was a real shame, as the evening was one of the best around, but the open mic was expected to continue. Sadly, this didn’t prove to be the case and to everyone’s disappointment it stuttered to a halt. Step forward the Royal Oak, also in Gnosall and no stranger to live music. So once again, Thursday nights are Open Mic nights…and excellent they are too. I have been there for the last few weeks and the variety of acts, the quality of the music and the support of the staff have all been superb… the King is dead…long live the King.

At the Newport Open Mic, our USP, unique selling point, don’t you know, is the fact that unlike a lot of other places, our venue can cater for live bands. A full drum kit, bass amp, guitar amps, monitors, lights and even a sound man, mean that musicians can turn up, sometimes without any equipment at all, and perform in front of a sizeable and appreciative live audience.. Given that this week we had around half a dozen bands our crowd of around sixty were treated to a real live ‘bandfest’.

Mitch Brooks was hardly late when he turned up just before 8pm, but he was on the stage immediately given that the early slot was the only one available. A good mix of self- penned songs and covers followed, highlight of which was ‘This Love’ by Maroon Five…perfectly suited to Mitch’s soulful vocal.

Nice to see John Minor back on stage playing a lovely instrumental set from his favourite groups, Oasis and Queen, before our first Scratch House Band of the evening. 

Haven’t heard Dave Blue, AKA Dave Sandford for a while but the little band he put together with Olly Flavell, Jude Paton and soundman John Newton on drums was a corker. ‘Mr Bartender’ my favourite of a gutsy, bluesy set.

76 years young Eddie Maiden has only recently come back from Spain and I reckon he has been getting a bit of practice in! His crowd pleasers from Tom Jones and Neil Diamond had the crowd joining in and set the scene for later sing-alongs.

A couple of new numbers from Open Mic regulars Vinyl Tap, showed that they have been putting in some rehearsal time. Songs from Tom Petty and The Monkees preceded a great eighties anthem, ‘Tainted Love’ by Soft Cell and only encouraged audience participation even more.

Next up, a real change of direction from Perton’s Mike Collins We are used to seeing Mike alone onstage with just his acoustic guitar, but it seems he has done a ‘Dylan’ and gone electric! Recruiting son Mikey, just 14years old and a fine bass player, and slightly older Nigel Tidy on drums, he has really filled up his sound. ‘Teenage Kicks’ was apparently John Peel’s favourite song of all time and this closed a great set.

Somewhat heavier and a LITTLE bit louder nice to see Telford’s Scripted Youth making a return appearance at the club. There is real potential here. So many self-penned songs are soft ballads played in minor keys, but not this lot. Their entire set was original…..and it rocked, as evidenced by the enthusiastic reception they received after their all too short set.

Time was getting on as the busy Jude Paton made her third appearance onstage, joining singer guitarist Gaz Williams and vocalist/drummer Mike Bristow. Clearly, these guys have been around a bit as evidenced by a super set that included Rory Gallagher and Dr Feelgood, and although Jude looked a little worried at first with the unfamiliar songs, she soon found her feet.

‘You went and saved the best till last’ sang Whitney a few years back and if we are talking vocalists here, in my humble opinion, that’s what happened this week. Sam Scott from Church Aston has a remarkable talent and an even more remarkable voice. Forget all the TV wannabees, this lad would have Tom Jones et all spinning their chairs around within seconds. Sadly, with such a full board, it was quite late before he could get on, but those who had to leave missed a real treat.

One of his own songs ‘Seren’ had the remaining audience spellbound, but it then got better. Leaving the stage, he joined together with guitarist Tom Bond and our own Remynie Faith to give us an unplugged and  totally brilliant version of Ed Sheeran’s ‘I see fire’ with delicious three part harmonies….breath-taking.

SO are we back to normal now at the Open Mic? Smaller attendances after Christmas was a cause for concern, but this week saw the return of a large enthusiastic crowd, a board of around a dozen separate acts and all for a quid, including the raffle! 

 Is there really anywhere else to go on a Tuesday evening? Till next time, keep it live!

Last month I went to the Great British Rock and Blues Festival in Skegness and over two and a half days had the opportunity of seeing 54 bands or solo performers. Choices had to be made and I ended up hearing 17 legendary blues and rock performers including Paul Jones of Manfred Mann and now fronting The Blues Band at the age of 72 and looking every bit as young as he did in the 60s. Also Dr Feelgood, Band of Friends - celebrating the music of Rory Gallagher, Steve Gibbons Band, the wonderful Martin Barre from Jethro Tull, Scottish singer/songwriter Jim Diamond, best remembered as the lead singer in PHD and the song “I Won't Let You Down” were all superb but certainly up there in the highlights of the rock and blues weekend was the four piece band Babajack with the beautiful vocals, African drum and cahon from Becky Tate, slide, harmonica and “winebox” guitar from Trevor Steger and on drums our very own Tosh Murase, landlord of the Wheatsheaf in Chetwynd Aston and performing at this prestigious event just 3 days after the birth of his son.

150 miles west of Skegness the atmosphere and talent was every bit as good last Tuesday at the regular Newport Open Mic session at the Royal Naval Association. Great to see Roger Price back after too long an absence with an opening set on keyboards and great vocals transporting us back to the Big Band and jazz standards of the thirties and forties. “How High the Moon”, “Moonlight in Vermont” and “Fly Me to the Moon” being very appropriate with the wonderful full moon we had earlier this month.

Something totally different this week for Rob Brown and Matt Miles performing as an acoustic duo. Matt is usually seen behind his drum kit but was centre stage and lead vocalist alongside Rob playing guitar and vocal harmonies. And what a delight too with songs by Police, Simon and Garfunkel and Ultravox's “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes”, not a song I have ever heard performed at an Open Mic session before. Matt was clearly out of his comfort zone but absolutely no need for nerves as the pair were outstanding.

12 year old Jay Harris always brings something different to the table and this week was no exception with the first outing for his new Gibson Les Paul and “Run to You” by Bryan Adams. A quick change to acoustic guitar with the assistance of his roadie Russ (Dad) saw his set out with songs from Echosmith and the Welsh indie rock band Catfish and the Bottlemen. Jay is really performing with attitude these days....well done young man.

Loyal supporter of Newport Open Mic, John Minor was back this week on guitar and demonstrating his talent on this instrument as well as keyboards, his first instrument of choice. Oasis is one of his favourite bands and their debut single “Supersonic” was performed really well. A good set from John ending with John Lennon's best selling single of his solo career “Imagine”.

5 piece band Khamouflage appeared last year at Open Mic and this week were back for an extended set of high octane rock and blues. Travelling from Crewe, Stoke and Stafford, Helen, Dave, Darren, Geoff and Steve (Blackie) put together a polished and powerful set of classic rock from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Gary Moore, T Rex and Stealers Wheel but the outstanding songs in the set delivered by Helen, Little Miss Dynamite, were Alannah Myles' “Black Velvet” and “Radar Love” by the Dutch rock band Golden Earring - superb drumming from Steve Black on this one. Ginger Baker eat you heart out.

A night not only of great diversity but of great talent too with the tempo being brought right down by 24 year old singer/songwriter Sam Scott. Last heard at Newport Open Mic 8 years ago Sam is a young man of exceptional talent. A lovely opening song “Who Says” by John Mayer was followed by 2 self penned songs. “Seren” meaning Star in Welsh was a song he wrote 7 years ago and Sam had the crowd transfixed by his beautiful melodic voice and finger picking style. If you have not seen or heard of Andy McKee before look him up on youtube – you will be amazed and Sam's launch into “For My Father” was ambitious indeed. Terrific stuff from this young man who promises to be back next week.

Cameraman for the evening, Laurence Gale rounded things off nicely with some lovely ballads including “Cat's in the Cradle” by one of his favourite singers, Harry Chapin. 

Once again a wonderful evening of live music and thank you to all those who contributed in whatever way.

Till next week KEEP MUSIC LIVE!

A packed house and plenty of new faces at The Navy. Words and pictures: Dave Whiteman

Yep, it’s cold. We seem to be breaking weather records every year at the moment. Depending on which newspaper you read, last year was the wettest/warmest/driest/coldest since records began (which was when exactly?) and February has started off very cold indeed. One thing you can always be sure about though is the warm welcome you will receive at the Newport Open Mic, held every Tuesday in the Royal Naval Association in Bellman’s Yard. Predicted bad weather didn’t stop debut performers travelling from far and wide, including Stafford, Wellington, Wolverhampton and even Manchester and neither did it prevent a brilliant crowd of fifty or so enjoying themselves.

Alan Lane is one of the best guitarists in town. Last week accompanying an Elvis impersonator ( and he was brilliant) His brief this week was somewhat different playing soft guitar to Lexi Tapley’s wonderful melodic vocal. Lexi’s voice can fill a room and her opener from Paulo Nutini certainly did, but her version of I’m Not the Only One’ by Sam Smith had real emotion. A great start to the evening.

Always nice to welcome new talent, and Alan Critchley, originally from Bury but now living in Wellington, brought his own backing tracks….and a fair percentage of the audience, to entertain us with some nice sing-alongs from Roger Miller and Billy Joel.

Lilleshall’s Mitch Brooks was back again and is proving to be a real favourite. He made his debut a few weeks ago and obviously enjoys playing at the Navy. Tracey Chapman’s ‘Fast Car’ is a difficult song, not easy to sing or play, but he did a superb job. A great young talent.

Next up two performers who have contributed an awful lot to local live music over the years, Jon Lloyd and Joe Nunn. Their three song set, all written by Jon was quite beautiful and the audience were quietened within seconds of Joe’s soft violin accompaniment. Special mention here, of Jon’s guitar playing. He makes complex rhythms and awkward chord progressions look very easy, and his lazy drawl vocal, so reminiscent of Leonard Cohen is perfect for their sound.

The audience of around fifty were now warming to the variety of performers, and Melissa Severn didn’t disappoint. It is hard to believe that she is still only sixteen…..she seems to have been around ages. I predicted when I first saw her almost three years ago, that she would have a career in music and it seems I am about to be proved right. 2014 was a blur of festivals and contest finals, performing in front of thousands of people and that has only sharpened her stage craft. Her music, all self-penned, has always been good, but her confidence on stage is now that of a seasoned performer….what next for this brilliant young talent?

If you have visited the Southwater Development in Telford recently, there is a good chance you will have seen members of next act, Sixty Angel Voices busking in the area. First time at the Navy for Matt Allen, Connor Purcell, Gary Conway and Tom Bridge, but the enthusiastic reception they received for their original set will guarantee their return, I am sure. They clearly enjoyed the experience, describing the set up as ‘the best ever’ and their mix of acoustic rock, with guitars and mandolin was very well received by the crowd.

Never judge a book by its cover and another newcomer, Steve Reynolds from Wolverhampton, certainly proved that old adage. He reminded me of rugby player Mike Tindall, but the voice that emerged was definitely not low and rough. He had a beautiful soft vocal and his version of opener ‘Sweet Child of Mine’ silenced the crowd immediately. It can be quite difficult to stand alone on stage with just a guitar for company, but this big man had the audience in the palm of his hand from the instant he started playing….great stuff.

Father and Son Gaz & Daz Nettleton had travelled from Wythenshawe, in order to surprise one of our regulars, Steve Davis who also runs an Open Mic in Manchester. Unfortunately, Steve missed this week, but the lads still thought their three hour round trip, on a working day, well worth the effort. ‘These Boots are made for Walking’ was a good opener which had the crowd singing along, and the response persuaded Gaz to try a quite tricky number, ‘Knights in White Satin’. Definitely not one in the easy category, but his vocal was crystal clear and he hit the high notes with ease. Come back again anytime lads, it was a brilliant first outing.

So around fourteen live performers entertained a great crowd and showed again why Newport Open Mic is regarded as one of the best in the area. 

 

Once again, many thanks to the helpers who were there at 7pm and still there more than four hours later to put the kit back up into the loft. We couldn’t do it without you!

Till next time, keep it live.

Banish the January blues at the Navy! Words and Pictures: Dave Whiteman

It’s official. 

Don’t just take my word for it, but January is the worst month of the year. 

After all the excitement building up to Christmas and then the New Year, the bleakness of January really hits home. Whether it is the rubbish weather, the fact that we spent up during the festive season, or just that the holidays seem a LONG way away, we are all, officially, down this month. One way to beat the blues is to get yourselves down the Royal Naval Association for the weekly Newport Open Mic, where you will always find a warm welcome and a healthy dose of enthusiasm!

I have been shouting from the rooftops lately about the young talent that is Olly Flavell. He has matured over the last couple of years into a prolific songwriter and a superb performer. His set this week was all self- penned and featured a great opener in ‘I want you too’. He looks a lot more confident on stage these days, perhaps due to the number of performances he makes around the area. If you missed him at the Navy, try and get to the Royal Oak in Gnosall, on Thursday evenings…you won’t be disappointed.

Eighteen years old, Mitch Brooks from Lilleshall made his debut at last week’s Open Mic and nice to see him back playing at the Navy again. It was almost as if he was testing the water last time, playing Ed Sheeran with just his acoustic guitar. This week he supplemented that with a loop pedal and the effect was simply superb. ‘You need me, I don’t need you’ was pretty good first time out, but looping different rhythms and riffs took this to a new level. Another very talented young man. 

I was beginning to feel quite old as Penkridge brothers Jack& Jordi James, 17 and 15 respectively came on the stage, making their first appearance at the club. For all you budding songwriters out there, it’s worth pointing out the importance of a couple of covers. You may want to play YOUR music all night, but have to accept that it may not be as memorable as a chart hit. The lads mixed it up well, sandwiching a very nice self- penned song, ‘Leaving’ in between a couple of cracking covers. Leave ‘em with a fast one is a good motto to follow and ‘I bet you look good on the dance floor’ had the audience singing along, tapping their feet and wanting more.

Time to redress the age balance a little bit and when local drumming legend Paul Crewe invited me to play a few numbers with him, how could I refuse? With ‘Grandad’ Dave on guitar and vocals, drummer Paul young (or old) enough to be my son, and bassist Olly Flavell the Grandson, this three generational ‘Scratch House Band’ worked through the Phil Collin’s classic ‘In the Air Tonight’ which featured not only great drumming on just a pair of bongos, but also nice comic timing from Paul. Follow ups from Stereophonics and Crowded House showed that you don’t necessarily need to know the songs to well, to give great accompaniment on bass….well done Olly.

It was almost at the end of the evening as newcomers Jack and Jordi collaborated with Mitch Brooks once again to rock us out for the night and send everyone home happy. All that was needed was a little bit of percussion, so step forward soundman Jonathan Newton……no mean drummer himself, and the second Scratch House Band was complete. I like moments like these…..quite often players have no idea how the audience will react, but rest assured, in the Navy it is always positive. These young lads really seemed to enjoy themselves on stage and I would not be surprised to see them doing something similar again.

So there you are. A cold, wet miserable January evening outside, but inside, a brilliant antidote to those blues at the Newport Open Mic. None of it would be possible however without the volunteers who lift the kit down from the loft every Tuesday around 7pm and set up the stage. 

The helpers seem to be few and far between of late and it is often left to just a couple of people to do the heavy work. Your help is needed and would be greatly appreciated. Please please don’t be to embarrassed to ask….just come down at 7pm and join in!

Till next time, keep it live!

 

A great start to the New Year at The Navy!    Words and Pictures: Dave Whiteman 

(Pictures to follow, (hopefully)).

They do say that as you get older, time goes quicker….it seems only a couple of weeks ago that we were looking forward to Christmas and the New Year…now here we are in the middle of January and the Newport Open Mic end of year party seems an age ago. Never mind, back to normal at the Navy Club with the first Open Mic of 2015 and with a packed board once again by around 8pm it was time to kick off the live music New Year in style.

It has been many months since we saw Jobe Spencer at the club, and it seems that he has been spending the time practicing. Only one tune from Jobe, a Tommy Emmanuel composition called ‘Windy & Warm’ but what a terrific start to the evening. Mark my words; this young man is good now…but he is going to be a VERY, VERY good guitarist.

Always nice to welcome a new face on stage, and 18yrs old Mitch Brooks from Lilleshall, made his debut in front of a very appreciative audience. A great set featured songs from Artic Monkeys, Stereophonics and a couple of crackers from Ed Sheeran……great guitar style and a very good voice.

Something new this week from one of our youngest Open Mic regulars, Jay Harris. I can’t say I have heard of Catfish & The Bottlemen, a North Wales Indie rock band, but after listening to Jay’s version of ‘Cocoon’ I shall certainly be listening out for them.

Olly Flavell goes from strength to strength, and with a new EP out next month he was keen to try out some of his new material. His three song self-penned set was very nice indeed, easy listening music with a bit of an edge, and his stage presence has improved enormously.

The first band of the evening, Vinyl Tap weighed in with a few crowd pleasers, ‘Town Called Malice’ and the Otis Redding classic, ‘Dock of the Bay’ before finishing with a cleaned up version of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’. It is a good song and very well played, but I have said before and still believe that it would benefit from a slightly lower key.

Our second new face of the evening, James Flanagan from Gnosall was a real breath of fresh air. His voice reminds me a little of Coldplay’s Chris Martin, but there is a slightly rougher side….think James Morrison, and you are getting close. His original set showed a strong song-writing talent as well….’Gouda was a Girl’ and ‘Flying De Lorean’ both original and excellent.

I have always thought ‘Coal Train’ a great name for a band, assuming the link between the great 50’s blues saxophonist John Coltrane and this terrific five piece from Telford is no co-incidence. Their line up may have changed over the years but the vibrancy and very strong vocals make this lot stand out from the crowd. Whichever band I watch or listen to, I sometimes get a little fed up of hearing just the one voice, so Coal Train with three different vocalists always provide plenty of variety. Deborah Higginbotham gives us a brilliant KT Tunstall style, Bryan James acoustic rock and finally Dave Gitten provides the harder blues voice, along with a great range of blues harp. The whole unit gels and I think they will be gigging very regularly before long……don’t forget where we are guys!

We cater for all sorts down at the Navy, but I don’t think we have ever had an opera singer before. Louisa Warburton is a classically trained singer, and she really belted out the Kate Bush classic ‘Wuthering Heights’ a Capella to a delighted audience…….a quite brilliant off the cuff performance.

It was gone 11pm, and clearly the crowd were in no mood for going home, so a bit of vocal encouragement brought Coal Train back to the stage for a final encore. ‘Can’t be Satisfied’ showcased a very tight rhythm section and great harmonica, before rock classics ‘Get it On’ and ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ had the remaining audience up on its feet dancing.

So a super start to the New Year. After low attendances toward the end of 2014 it was nice to see so many people making the live music pilgrimage to the Newport Open Mic, particularly on such a foul night. Many thanks to the 7pm helpers lifting all the kit from the loft and to those at the end who helped put it back. Remember, don’t be embarrassed about offering to help…..it will always be appreciated.

Till next week……keep it live!