Music Was My First Love

The love of live music isn’t shared by everyone I know but the gig experience is still something I really enjoy and I always feel that I was glad I made the effort on the majority of occasions.

My next book to read at home is Simon Armitage’s ‘GIG’ published in 2008. It explores how music intertwined with his work and life in general. When I was a much younger man living in London I would go to gigs every week. The Half Moon in Putney, Dingwalls in Camden Town , the Town & Country Club, Kentish Town etc, etc, me and my mates would go all over to see and experience live the bands we liked. We never went to discos or nightclubs we liked live music, therefore we never met many women at that time ! but we learnt a hell of a lot about good and bad musicians and we knew the history of rock inside and out.

These days I go to gigs infrequently due to where I live now and the travel involved but this week I saw the Handsome Family and it reminded me of why live music is the best way to see a musician or group you really like. I had already tried to listen to their new album ‘Wilderness’ before the gig but I find my concentration to listen through from the beginning to the end of any new release very difficult as I admit I have become a bit of a ‘Shuffle Man’ by the way I listen to music so hearing the same new tracks live brought out the real meaning in the songs and the lyrics so when I went back to the album the day after I understood it  and could listen to it in a much more relaxed way. Next week I am off to see Charlie Parr, so let’s hope for another good ‘un.

Enjoy

 

Charlie Parr - God Moves On The Water

Charlie Parr - South Of Austin North Of Lyle

The Handsome Family - Owls

The Handsome Family - Glow Worm

Home Of The Blues

 

I’ve been very busy at work since I returned from my holidays and haven’t really found very much to moan about other than my work and that is hardly very interesting to anybody anyway,so I thought I might talk about football. This week my team Chelsea won another European trophy and it was a great night. I have now missed both wonderful occasions in Munich and Amsterdam but as I no longer want to travel to see my beloved Blues as much as I once did and have eventually given up my old season ticket I have to follow them mostly through the wonders of satellite television and the internet these days. I also became a victim of the high ticket prices you now pay to watch 90 minutes of football so I can only manage about three games a season now but I can still find myself jumping up and down on the living room floor and shouting myself hoarse in support of my team especially with situations like the drama of Wednesday night.

This has been a great week for the team, with next season’s Champions League qualification almost confirmed and last week Frank Lampard beating Bobby Tambling’s goalscoring record at Villa Park and then the good news Thursday of his extended contract, although I always despair when other club’s supporters have a go at ‘Fat’ Frank (jealousy, such petty jealousy lads).

The man is a legend and compared to that other weirdly tattooed male model who has just retired this week after playing about ten minutes football in France for Paris St Germain to win yet another medal for doing almost nothing well then compared to him our Captain Frank is a giant of the modern game (my opinion obviously and one not widely shared I understand)…..

Plus JT stop embarrassing yourself and keep your kit off once and for all as if you don’t manage to play the actual game then let the other players lift up the cup and you celebrate with them later at the end.

Anyway

 

Super - Super - Frank - Super - Frankie - Lampard – Come on you Blue Boys…………

 

Enjoy

Bobby Bare Jr - I'll Be Around

Gangstagrass - Dollar Boss

Kevin Coyne - Blame It On The Night

Wild Billy Childish And The Spartan Dreggs - Lemonade Stand

Hanging On The Old Barbed Wire

 

Finally the sun has come out and remained out for more than one day so Spring has arrived here with a hot Summer to follow (possibly who knows these day's).

What does this really mean you might ask, where are you going with this post you might say ?

Well if the sun is out in the UK then it can only mean one thing our sad obsession with the bar-b-q begins. Personally I just can’t see what all the fuss is about. Yes, enjoy the good weather, enjoy the sunshine and your gardens, backyards and municipal parks but please why spoil it all frying large pieces of fatty meat on a fire just because you feel it is the right thing to do or if you don’t have a bar-b-q  then somehow you are not British or not enjoying yourself properly.

So go on then and get pissed, make too much noise, annoy your neighbours and sacrifice your weekly food bill to the great outdoors god of Aus, because really that’s the place for it and that’s the place it should stay, it’s not British it’s ingrained in Australian and American culture where it is generally very hot and dry every year. As a nation we can’t do it properly but we are now indoctrinated to the point where most people can’t ignore the problem and head of straight to the nearest supermarket of DIY superstore as soon as we get one day of sunshine. So off you go and get too red sitting all day in the sun, talking too loud and filling up your arteries with half a cow. Where's the salad !!!

 I pity you all

Enjoy

 

ZZ Top - Bar-B-Q

Jon Dee Graham - A Place In The Shade

Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Choctaw Summer

Kermit Ruffins & The Barbeque Swingers - Skokiaan

Happy Holidays

I've been on my holidays, a week away from the old country and my first serious trip abroad in nine years.

Sun, sea and sangria...well not quite all that at the same time but it was really good. It was actually a week's walking and resting in Mallorca but now it's back to normality and catching up on the constant amount of TV series that I record (only quality, no shitty soap's). I brought back too much duty free, spent too much ( the Euro doesn't feel like real money but it is) and put on four pounds (so much for the walking !!).

Now that I'm back I get to vote on a pay rise at work, I have another week off before I go back to my boring old job and I have found out that two greats have gone to music heaven.

So farewell Richie Havens and George Jones.

Enjoy

 

 

George Jones - Heartaches And Hangovers

George Perkins & The Silver Stars - Crying In The Streets

Richie Havens - Tombstone Blues

Maddox Bros & Rose - Death Of Rock And Roll