Brilliant Buskers at the Navy   Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Matt Thomas

There is a famous tune called ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ and although I have sung it many, many times, I have never really understood the line ‘Now Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers, they’ve been known to pick a song or two’. That was until this last week, when a brilliant BBC4 documentary explained it. Muscle Shoals is a studio in Sheffield, Alabama and almost everyone in the music world, from Aretha Franklin to The Rolling Stones have recorded there at some point. The resident rhythm section, who were able to busk almost anything in any musical key, became known as The Swampers…hence their inclusion in the famous Lynryd Skynryd number. I mention this only because every week at the Newport Open Mic in the Navy Club you will find a bunch of musicians who get up on stage performing with someone they perhaps have never met, playing something they have never played.

More of that later, but first up Helen Brown from Telford, who has just returned from six weeks in Thailand. Always a pleasure to listen to her soft style and she managed to squeeze two of my favourites, James Taylor and John Prine into her lovely set.

A little bird tells me that Robbie Pilgrim and Jobe Spencer have been spotted busking in Stafford. Clearly the practice is paying off because their short instrumental set was excellent….particularly ’Freefallin’.

An absolute pleasure to welcome back Jade & JP from Wolverhampton. Their visit a couple of months ago set the place alight and they impressed once again with a brilliant performance. ‘River Deep Mountain High’ was my highlight of a fantastic medley of songs, which segued seamlessly from one to the other.

Next up, Newport’s own ‘Swampers’
I was tempted up on stage to join very experienced musicians Steve Hammond on guitar, bassist Simon Mann and drummer for hire Paul Crewe to hammer through a roaring set that had little heard rock and soul from the sixties….great fun indeed.


Continuing in the same vein, Martin Jacks and Tony Rodberg otherwise known as the Magpies, lived up to their name by ‘borrowing’ a few musicians from the floor to fill out their sound. A brilliant set from this five piece followed, my favourite being ‘The Thrill is Gone’ made famous by BB King. Tremendous stuff from these musical strangers.


Resident bluesman Dave Sandford stayed on stage with the rhythm section Al Middleton and Baz Webster, recruiting youngster Olly Flavell for some serious blues tunes from JJ Cale, before another very experienced guitarist joined them for a finale. Roger Clark hasn’t been seen in a while but rousing numbers from Dire Straits and Bryan Adams blew away any cobwebs.

So never mind Muscle Shoals….the talent is here in Newport!

If you play, sing or just want to jam with other like-minded musicians, then the Newport Open Mic is for you, every Tuesday at the Navy Club.

Till next time, keep it live!

Back to rock nights at the Navy   Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Laurence Gale

We are nothing if not democratic at the Newport Open Mic. Since October, the last Tuesday of the month has been a purely acoustic night but attendances have not been as high as the normal club nights. A simple vote was taken on whether to carry on and it was decided to shelve these and just hold normal ‘music for all’ nights. So back to that this week with a full board of performers before 8pm and a crowd of around 60, waiting to welcome them.

Our audience is always generous and very appreciative and first to hear that appreciation was Alex Hislop, performing at the club for the first time. His eight stringed instrument looked like a cross between a mandolin and a bouzouki, and was perfect backing for his self-penned folky set.



Nice to see keyboarder John Minor back on stage. He had a couple of problems with vocals last week, so it was all instrumental this time with a couple of Oasis tunes to delight the crowd.

Regular bluesman Dave Sandford assembled a fine scratch house band to up the tempo, including Pete Barton and Clive Roberts. A great set included the quite brilliant ‘Need Your Love So Bad’ before another fledgling busking band came on stage.

Steve Hammond, a superb guitarist from Shrewsbury is always keen to collaborate with others, so keeping Clive on bass, he recruited drummer Tony Callister to play a blistering rock set, finishing off with timeless classic ‘Johnny B Goode’







Richard Thomas next up, and as always, something entertaining and completely different.  Jimmy Dean’s song from 1961, ‘Big Bad John’ opened proceedings, but it was his closing number that received most of the attention. I have heard ‘These Boots are Made for Walking’ many times, but never in German…..it made for an interesting chorus when the audience tried to join in!

Gaz and The Tones have hardly missed an Open Mic in months and their dedication and hard work is clearly paying off. Their original compositions are always well crafted and played, but there is tightness to the band now that only comes from playing together regularly. A fine set included a couple of as yet unnamed songs to add to their repertoire.

Turn the lights down, light an e-cigarette and listen to the fabulous keyboard skills of Ben Garrott, who brought the evening to a close with a couple of his own compositions and a stirring rendition of ‘Sweet Child of Mine’….if there is still a smoky piano bar in Soho, that’s where Ben should be performing.

Where does the time go? It seemed only a couple of hours had passed since Alex had started the evening, but as the clock ticks past 11pm, the equipment is put away for another week.

Join us every Tuesday for a regular dose of local live music, from 8pm at the Navy Club in Bellman’s Yard. Till next time. Keep it live!

Too old for touring?  No chance! Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures:Matt Thomas and Paul Crewe
 
I must admit, I hate March. Normally at this time of the year I am away on the ski slopes, but due to a knee operation, there will be no skiing for me this season. Maybe that’s why I’ve felt a little tired and listless this week. Open Mic on Tues at The Navy; same again at The Navigation on Thurs and a gig tonight, Friday….I was thinking, am I getting too old for this Rock & Roll lifestyle? That was until I saw a programme about BB King, who throughout his seventies still played around 250 gigs per year, and even now at almost 90 still performs more than 100 times annually!

Rich Evans, who like BB King has a guitar with a female name, in his case Amy WInebox, got the evening off to a great start with a crowd pleasing set which included the C&W hit, ‘Ruby (don’t take your love to town) before Telford based Ricochet came on stage. Everyone agreed that the new softer sound, with Sand Kumar playing electric acoustic was very nice indeed….something to note for the future lads?

Also from Telford, the lovely voice of Claire Shaw never fails to please. A really nice rework of ‘Believe’ by Cher was followed by a self-penned ‘Deliverance’ …not from the film of the same name as I originally thought, but as a tribute (?) to an ex-boyfriend….who she described with a choice expletive.

A couple of songs from a very melancholy Nathan Davis next, including ‘I’ll Always Say’ which he wrote himself and the Bob Dylan classic, ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’ which, by comparison, seemed almost lively.

It does what it says on the tin was a great advert for wood stain, but the description fits equally well with Gaz & The Tones. Very hummable favourites, ‘Maybe it’s Me’ and ‘Resign’ sandwiched a new number, provisionally entitled ‘Just Wanna Make you Smile’ which I am sure will feature on their crowd pleasing set list.

John Minor played keyboard onstage for the first time last week and returned to try out vocals with a heartfelt tribute to his uncle who died recently. Clearly emotional, he had some difficulty getting some of the words out, but this was ignored by the audience who rewarded him with generous applause at the end of his short set. Well done John.

The ever dependable Olly Flavell brought proceedings to a close with his own very recognisable style, part jazz part funk. ‘Sunday Morning’ one of his own songs, is very well crafted and deserves to be recorded….I could certainly imagine hearing it on Radio 6. Olly tells me that he is starting another Open Mic in town, starting next Monday 10^th March. It seems unclear whether or not The Bridge, who are under new ownership, wanted to carry on with their alternate Thursdays, so The Shake has stepped in to host Open Mic every other week. Good luck with that!

So too old for Rock & Roll?

Don’t you believe it. Till next time, keep it live!

Talented new faces at The Navy.    Words by Dave Whiteman, Pictures by Laurence Gale

So, the most expensive sporting event in history comes to a close and nearly three thousand athletes from more than 80 countries make their tired way home. How was it for you? I must admit, being a winter sports fanatic, I really enjoyed it, basking in the limited success of our small island against the giants of the sporting world. President Vladimir Putin seemed happy; not only did the threatened terrorist attacks fail to materialise, but his country also finished top of the medal table. Sadly for him, the one he really wanted escaped, as Russia fell to the Finns in the ice hockey, but overall I think everyone regarded the games as great success. But at what financial cost? Russia spent more than anyone in Olympic history, around £30 billion……so even though they totalled 33 medals, that works out at just less than £909,090,900 almost one billion pounds each! Team GB however, only managed to win four medals, but at a cost of only £13.4 million….quite a bargain by comparison!
Even more of a bargain was this week’s Open Mic at The Navy, as the usual £1 raffle ticket entrance was waived for the acoustic evening, held on the last Tuesday of the month. With a few new faces on stage and the audience enjoying around ten live acts, we could have given out a few awards ourselves.


Putting down his camera and picking up his guitar, first up was resident snapper Laurence Gale, who gave us a great start to the evening with classic songs from The Beatles and Harry Chapin. He is a busy man is Laurence….before the applause had died down, he was back up with his camera taking pictures of the next act.


All the way from Market Drayton and making only his second appearance at the club, Tristan Wood brought new songs from Harvey Andrews and The Levellers to delight the crowd.

 The atmosphere at these acoustic sessions is completely different to a normal Tuesday at the Navy, and Steve Davis’s soft voice is perfectly suited to the occasion. I always thought ‘Across the Universe’ was a George Harrison composition, but it was actually written by John Lennon for the Sgt Pepper album. When he failed to convince the other Beatles about the songs qualities, a miffed Lennon gave the song to a charity release for the World Wildlife Fund. Nonetheless, a great version from Steve.


14 years old Isis Sky is a natural entertainer and once the sound man had figured out her backing tracks, she belted through the KT Tunstall song, ‘Big Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’…..what amazing confidence from someone so young…..it is very easy to picture her onstage performing in a musical.


Nathan Davis and Jobe Spencer collaborated next, with a couple of self-penned songs and then one written by Nathans late father, Martyn, I wonder Why’ A friend whispered quietly “Close your eyes and it sounds just like his dad” which is a superb tribute.



Hard to believe, but it is eight years on Sunday since the Open Mic lost one of its favourite sons, bass man Roy Hodges. Roy was great supporter of live music and is fondly remembered by many of his friends; none more so than next up Graham Dabbs.  Onstage at the Navy, Roy and guitarist Dave Morris would be behind the singing Graham, often muttering and making comment at his expense. A heartfelt tribute entitled ‘I Can Hear You’ had smiles and sniffles in equal measure.

John Minor is a regular member at Open Mic, but only ever in the audience, never on stage. This week he was encouraged to bring his keyboard and play for the very first time, and although admitting to being too nervous to sing, his instrumental set included a very original version of a fairly obscure Beatles song, ‘Run for Your Life’

Another vibrant song from Isis Sky, ‘Express Yourself’ livened up the crowd before the incredibly talented Ben Garrott, took to the stage with borrowed instrument. He insisted that he only intended to come and listen, but a little gentle persuasion had him debuting material from his just released album, ‘Here/There’, using John Minor’s keyboard. All three tracks were quite superb pieces of original composition, and my personal favourite ‘City Rain’ had film sound track all over it.


So whether the rain is pouring or there happens to be footie on the telly, there will always be a hard-core of fans wishing to enjoy the live music at the Newport Open Mic. Back to normal next week, with full kit on the main stage, so come and see what all the fuss is about. Till then, keep it live….and give yourself a medal!

---

Battle of the Guitarists at The Navy!   Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Laurence Gale


Are you a Pointless fan? My wife and I are regular watchers of this popular TV quiz programme, and the other week, I actually got a

‘Pointless’ answer…..Alex Coomber. No wiser? What about Janice Rankin, Fiona MacDonald, Debbie Knox or Rhona Martin? All of these except the last one were pointless when the question was “Name a British Winter Sports Medallist”…..Rhona having captained the GB Ladies Curling team to Gold in Salt Lake City in 2002. Sadly no-one recalled her team mates, or Alexandria (Alex) Coomber who won a bronze in the Skeleton at the same games, so they were all pointless answers. So file away Jennifer Jones and Lizzy Yarnold….they may well win you a quiz in years to come! It might also be worth remembering some of Newport’s young musical talent. Who knows, a lucky break and a hit record and you may be able to say “I knew them when they used to play Open Mic down at the Navy”

A veritable army of supporters helped to set up in record time, so it was all systems go by 8pm with yet another full board of performers to get through in a busy night of live music. Dave Blue assembled a nice Scratchouse band with Steve Davis, Olly Flavell and Andy Clarke and their short but lively blues set had soundman Adam Brown nodding his approval and the crowd of seventy or so showing loud appreciation.

Telford duo, Ricochet have now become a trio with the addition of new energetic drummer Cameron Pierce. Sand Kumar on vocals and guitar and bassist Scott Carson always entertain with their ‘thrash, metal punk’ but with the steady solid beat behind them, they have added a new dimension to their act.

How do we get three into four? Guitarist Steve Hammond from Shrewsbury turned up looking for other musicians to play with and another visiting guitarist, Steve Lock from Peterborough was after the same. Fortunately, drummer Matt Miles was in the audience and also looking for musical collaboration, so it seemed the right thing to partner them up with Ben Garrott on saxophone to form our second Scratch House band of the evening. A lovely version of ‘Moondance’ by Van Morrison started their performance and showcased Ben’s brilliant alto sax . No room for two lead guitars, so both Steves switched lead and bass halfway through to give each other the chance to shine. A polished version of ‘Sultans of Swing’ by Dire Straits brought a superb set to a close.

Throw down a guitar challenge and Dave Sandford, AKA Dave Blue will be first to pick up the gauntlet. Keeping the same rhythm section and adding Olly on guitar, he ticked all the right boxes with classic numbers from JJ Cale, Eric Clapton and Hendrix…. a blistering performance.


Of all the acts I saw last year, the one who impressed me most was 16 years old Zac Christie, so great to see him back at the club. His laid back guitar style and soulful voice are quite superb and within seconds he had the audience in the palm of his hand once again. A lovely version of ‘No Surprises’ from Radiohead’s 1997 album OK Computer was outstanding and no surprise when the audience wanted more. He obliged with a new self-penned song, ‘Love You So’ confirming my first thoughts about Zac….he will go far.

Club regulars Gaz & the Tones up next, with their polished acoustic rock that never fails to please. I understand they are now actively looking for gigs in the area, so if you haven’t seen them make sure you do. Favourites ‘Sweet Lorenzo Harmony’ and ‘Maybe it’s Me’ sound tighter than ever and both were included in a fine set.

Local tennis coach Darcy Crawford has been very busy at work and has had little time for performing. Half term break gave him the opportunity to visit, ‘just to have a listen’ but a little bit of arm twisting had him returning home for his guitar to bring the evening to a close. A heavily looped ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ is complicated, fun and enjoyable, but for me he is at his best when just using his superb voice and great guitar. Songs from Paulo Nutini and The Script showed that he hasn’t lost his touch and a rip roaring ‘500 miles’ from The Proclaimers, had the audience enthusiastically singing along and was the perfect way to finish off a fabulous evening of live music.

So make a mental note of a few of these names. Some of us, myself included, are far too old to trouble the music world, but I suspect some of our younger ones may well win you a future quiz!

See you next week, until then Keep it Live.

South America calling!  Words by Jude Paton & Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Laurence Gale

From our overseas correspondent, Jude Paton:

Five degrees north of the equator and 90 degrees in the shade, Open Mic in Colombia starts at the crack of dawn with the shrill tunes of Hummingbirds accompanied on percussion by Woody Woodpecker. The gentle sounds of Latin American favourites The Iguanas and The Chameleons are the opening act for super group ‘Them Crooked Vultures’ (John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme) who’ve just flown in from the Andes to perform in the Cauca River Valley along with their 20 strong vulture entourage. A great show ensues, ending with them all soaring high above on the thermals before departing down the valley.

A coconut dropping from 40 feet reminds me of the time when Bongo Eddie from Kid Creole and the Coconuts made an appearance at Newport Open Mic….and brilliant he was too! Late night sounds come from The Crickets followed the Colombian Frog Chorus which always goes down well. I hate to put any performer down but the least popular act, The Mosquitos invariably send the audience scurrying home, arms flapping but happy to return for more the next day.
 
All these lovely sights and sounds provided free by nature here in South America.  And is that Woody Woodpecker back for an encore? No it´s just my host, John Heath practicing on his castanets again. Hasta Luego amigos see you next week!..........
 

...Jude would definitely have approved this week’s line up. Malcolm Purvis, from Leeds opened the proceedings and introduced a new toy…an electronic harmoniser. For the first time we heard Malcolm supplement his own songs with a couple of covers…and what a couple of crackers they were. Both written by Australian James Rayne, ‘Reckless’ and ‘Any Day Above Ground’ sounded as two voices in perfect harmony from just one man and his guitar.

Haven’t seen Lexi Tapley in ages, and she was clearly nervous as she took to the stage with Open Mic regular Alan Lane. Any anxiety was quickly dispelled as she sang beautifully throughout a set that included U2 and David Guetta. My personal favourite was ‘Landslide’ by Fleetwood Mac, with brilliant guitar picking from Alan.

Speaking of brilliant guitar, next up Jobe Spencer and Robbie Pilgrim still have not found the confidence to sing, but gave us instead a superb improvised instrumental set that showcased a great talent. Maybe a song or two next week lads?

Just before the start, our youngest performer, Jay Harris gently reminded me that he is no longer ten years old. Showing off his brand spanking new Epiphone guitar, an 11^th birthday present  from his proud parents, he wowed the crowd with a great song from The Editors before playing what has become his signature song….’Sweet Child o’ Mine’……. reckon I will be handing over the reins to Jay in the next few years!

Next up Nathan Davis, at sixteen, seemed positively ancient by comparison. Ably supported by Jobe Spencer on lead, he treated us to a new, as yet unnamed song before a very ambitious and quite excellent ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ from American power balladeers Journey. Great stuff Nate.

Remynie Faith brought her new band Feorh, to play at the Navy for their first live performance. Their name translates from Old English as ‘live principles of soul spirit for eternity’ and nervous glances were seen around the room as the first heavy metal chords belted out. No need to worry as a couple of lively self-penned songs, ‘52 hertz’ and ‘Widow’ preceded a very lively Black Sabbath classic, ‘Paranoid’. Ozzy would have been very pleased!

How do you follow that?.....with Richard Thomas of course. New versions of songs from The Eagles and Gloria Gaynor led the way before an anarchic ‘God Save the Queen’……all played brilliantly on his newest acquisition, a ukulele.

Gaz & the Tones have established themselves as firm favourites, and very nice to see them introduce a couple of covers. ‘Handle with Care’ the Wilbury’s anthem perfectly suited their rock acoustic style, and an unexpected ‘Burning Love’ from Elvis completed a fine set.

      Mick Skinner and Clive Roberts from Telford, and collectively known as Click, made their debut next and soon had the crowd of seventy or so in the palm of their hand. ‘Ricky Don’t Lose That Number’ by Steely Dan, never an easy number to play, showcased their musical prowess. Hope we see you back again soon, gents?

Just time for our photographer Laurence Gale and singing partner Rob Bryon to bring a great evening to a close with covers from Jackson Brown and The Faces, amongst others. 

Many thanks to those who help to set up and break down, it would not be possible without you. 

Till next week, keep it live!

Terrific new duo at The Navy. Words: Dave Whiteman, Pictures: Matt Thomas and Laurence Gale

Some regulars may have noticed the absence over the last few weeks of our organiser/ticket seller/bass player and general dogsbody, Jude Paton. Well, Jude has taken a holiday…and not just any old holiday. She is on the other side of the world in Colombia, South America visiting an ex-Newport musical mate, John Heath. Last I heard she was heading off for a four day trip in the mountains to seek new influences……I expect her back wearing a poncho and clutching her pan pipes within the next week or so!

I am pretty sure she would have enjoyed this week’s offering at the Newport Open Mic, held at the Navy club in Bellman’s Yard every Tuesday at 8pm. The truly awful weather was not enough to deter some sixty or so diehard live music fans, and with around ten acts it was a busy, busy evening.

With a full board of performers by just after eight, Rich Evans was unable to find a playing slot before 11pm. He was nevertheless persuaded to open the show early with his usual great humour and professionalism, and his tribute to the late Pete Seeger, ‘Pay Me My Money Down’ was a lively start to the evening.

Two youngsters who have made massive improvements this year are Robbie Pilgrim and Jobe Spencer, both aged just 15. It seems just a few months ago, they were gazing at their shoes whilst tentatively strumming their guitars. They are now far more structured and the balance between the two quite different styles, one gentle picking and strumming, the other, haunting solos, was quite superb. Sandwiched between a couple of instrumental jams was an excellent version of Tom Petty’s ‘Freefallin’……great stuff.

Gaz & the Tones have been regulars at the club for some time now and their original compositions never fail to please. They always manage to slip in a new number amongst their well-established and better known songs, which shows that whilst perfecting the act, they are not neglecting their song writing.

Dave Blue assembled the first Scratch House band of the evening, recruiting first, Rich Evans on vocals and the Collister brothers from Gaz & the Tones on bass and drums. A typical blues set had all the right ingredients, Clapton, Hendrix and JJ Cale, but when multi-instrumentalist Ben Garrott joined them on stage with his brand new, lightweight, sparkling white alto sax, the sparks really did fly. Brilliant stuff from these seasoned musicians.

Steve Hammond, a talented guitarist from Shrewsbury first came to the club a few weeks ago, looking to join or form a band. Retaining the services of Andy on bass and brother Tony on drums, he showcased his talent once again. A lively ‘Mustang Sally’ was followed by a song I have never heard busked before….Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition’….I am quite sure Steve will not be waiting for a band for very long.

Jobe Spencer made his second appearance of the evening, this time adding thoughtful guitar solos to Nathan Davis’s set.  A couple of Levellers numbers, including ‘Maid of The River’ preceded a fine rendition of ‘Cannonball’ by Damian Rice.

Their bass player Jude may well be in South America, but a quick trawl had bluesman Dave Sandford swapping six strings for four to join Vinyl Tap, on stage for a great set of covers. Closing song ‘Town Called Malice’ was a perfect choice, judging by the number of dancers on the floor.

Nice to see Claire Shaw from Telford, back at the club. She has a lovely voice and a nice economical guitar style but she is not averse to taking a musical risk, evidenced by songs from Katy Perry and electronic dance music trio, Swedish House Mafia.  A self-penned song ‘Heavy Heart’ closed a super set.

‘You Went and Saved the Best Till Last’ is regarded as Vanessa Williams’s signature tune, but the title was really fitting for our penultimate act of the evening. Wolverhampton based Jade & JP had waited patiently all evening and when they started their acoustic/rock/soul/disco medley everyone in the room sat up and took notice. Jade Duncombe on vocals was superbly backed by JP Haslam who managed to make his guitar sound like three instruments. Switching seamlessly from Dolly Parton, through Wild Cherry and finishing with Jackson Five….all on one acoustic guitar, it was quite clear they are seasoned performers. Hope we see you guys back again before too long.

 
Just time for late arrival Pete Nihill to send everyone on their way with his gruff gravelly voice, like a cross between Tom Waits and Lois Armstrong. Pete’s old open tuned 12 string sounded superb and brought a brilliant evening of live music to a close. 


Till next week….keep it live!