'Eight and three quarter minutes and ten thousand miles'

15th October 2019

We have recently introduced the idea of arriving at 7.45 for an 8pm start.    The idea is beginning to  work, and quite a number of folk appeared before the clock struck eight.  The trouble is, that it still takes time for everyone to settle in and get drinks from the bar, and for whoever is hosting the evening, to meet the players and organise the running list and get the excitement started up.  

So, I was a little bit behind schedule to begin, -- in fact a shocking eight and three quarter minutes late!       If  other hosts can get it on at the stroke of eight, they will get a prize.
   
I got going with the up-tempo toe tapping number from Craig and Charlie Reid, The Proclaimers' 'I'm gonna be'. -- often referred to as ' I would walk five hundred miles', or just simply 'Five hundred miles'. This song features in the nice film 'Sunshine on Leith', as does the title song (Eponymous)!  -- 'Sunshine on Leith'. --This leads me on to my Lisp Twisting Tongue Twister: 'It's my belief that the thwarted thoughtless thief has been released by the Leith police.
Try saying that in a hurry!   

I often suffer a mental block in the middle of a song, and this time, I found myself singing " I would walk TEN THOUSAND miles, instead of five hundred.    This would prove to be a strange case of coincidence or telepathy, later in the evening.   I will tell you later.
   My second song 'The Path' is one of my own creations.  "The summer days have gone by, colder days will surely follow.........The early years are gone, older years will surely follow."     By the way, have I ever mentioned that you can find my songs on Amazon? (Search my name).    What's that I hear you say?    "Yes Clive!   You have actually mentioned it before!"

I asked Lance about his surname, and he told me. - That's why we just call him Lance Maleski.   He has his book of his own compositions which he calls his 'Bible', and from it he gave us his song which exhorts us to eat our vegetables.  ( Luckily not cabbage).
 This was followed by 'Free', in which he has included quotes from Pink Floyd's 'Dark side of the Moon album, and  from The Beatles' 'Abbey Road'.     Lance has become a new recruit for working the sound desk, and tonight he has been serving his apprenticeship under the watchful eye of Chris Martin. 

Tonight we had three players by the name of Mark.    Mark One was our friend Mark Lynch, who , like Lance, has been welcomed as a regular member.   Mark sat on our famous bar stool and gave us the traditional song that has several different titles, but known best as 'Wild Mountain Thyme'.   Mark invited Ella and Heather to sing harmony on the choruses.  Still sitting comfortably, he continued with Leonard Cohen's 'Sisters of Mercy'. 

It's unusual to see Chris Martin sitting away from the sound desk, but with Lance at the controls, Chris was able to try a different chair.  (Not such a comfortable one).     Chris's songs are meaningful and complex, even though his first one was 'Simple Message'.   Then he gave us another of his self -written pieces,  'The Man'.

Next up was Jim A'Cort, choosing two of his own songs for us to enjoy.   Firstly, his song about ants. When I asked him what it's called, he said  -"ANTS" -- I suppose I should have known.  He marched on with ' How can you miss her?'   ( When she won't go away).

Pete Tindall told me he hadn't been here for twenty years.  It's taken him a long time to return.   He played nice bottle neck slide guitar on both of his self -penned songs, firstly 'If I lived here', and then 'Lost Highway'.      We enjoyed his music, but then suddenly he was gone.

Lucky number seven on the list was Heather Curry, hot foot/ or rather/ wet foot from her fund- raising swimming challenge.  She has done the equivalent of swimming the English Channel.  ( La Manche - if you want the French).    Tres bien!      Heather gave us   'I'm gonna be a country girl again', by Buffy Sainte Marie, and then she went on to explain the meaning of the saucy lyrics to her next offering.   This was the traditional ditty ' Maids when you're young never marry an old man'.

Simon Watt (The Boss), always gives us a laugh, and tonight he told us a yarn about having to sit around a candle to keep warm.    On really cold nights, they would light the candle.    Simon also gives us a cool and calm performance every time, and his choice of songs is always just right.  Tonight it was 'The Tennessee Waltz'- music by the amusingly named Pee Wee King, and lyrics by Redd Stewart.  ( Not Rod Stewart).     After this, came 'Honey Pie',a sort of old fashioned style song by Paul McCartney.   Simon had some great accompaniment tonight from Greg on soprano saxophone.

Jason Loughran came to the floor to play a couple of solo pieces tonight.  Often he is joined by Lisa Jackson, but she was unable to come tonight.     We heard one of her own songs though, with Jason singing Lisa's 'Just for a while', and then to be a fair share, he did one of his own, 'Another year, another Song'.  

Coming in at number 10 , - No, not Boris Johnson, but  none other than Ella Moonbidge.
Ella's fingers are good on the piano, and also on  the Bazooka which she chose to play tonight.   She started up with one of her favourites, 'Carey'.            I've only ever enjoyed this song done by just two people -- Joni Mitchell, and Ella Moonbridge.        Her second song was featured in the lovely film 'Fly away home', and done by Mary Chapin Carpenter.     --And here is the telepathic coincidence that I mentioned earlier:  'Ten Thousand Miles' was the title, and I had sung that I would walk ten thousand miles.    Hey, spooky?       Isn't that interesting!     No, not really. 

Jamie Lynch (no relation to Mark Lynch),had been waiting patiently to come up to give us two of his own songs, firstly, 'Hang', and then 'Little Things'.   Thanks Jamie, it was worth waiting for. 

Also showing great patience was our second Mark of the evening, Mark Woodgate, playing bottleneck slide guitar, and giving  us 'Death Letter Blues'  by the American blues musician Son House, ( Not to be confused with the short - lived English band Sunhouse).   He followed this with one of his own songs, 'Sycophantic Blues'.      Is a sycophant someone who is sick of ants?

Then came our third Mark of the evening, Mark Sampson, down from London, and he sung a great song written by a veteran of the D Day Landings of seventy five years ago, Jim Radford, 'The Shores of Normandy'.   Mark then did one of his own compositions 'Seagulls'.    (Brighton and Hove FC).

We were just about finished now, but I decided as host,that I would like to do one more number to end with, the up-tempo song by Canned Heat,' Going up Country'.   There  was a tiny mishap as I got into the song, when my guitar strap, which was twisted, became un-hitched, and I became un-hinged.    Losing your guitar strap is one of those problems second only to breaking a string.    Anyway, it was all part of the entertainment.  

So, having started the evening eight and three quarter minutes late, we also finished eight and three quarter minutes late.    -- Good timing! 

Thanks go to Simon and Chris as always, and also to Lance for running the sound desk tonight.    Thank you to all of those who come, and who stay to the end.     

Best wishes
Clive Woodman

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Earlier this evening, Simon mentioned  a forthcoming concert by Linde Nijland, who sings Sandy Denny songs, so my first video choice  is one of Sandy Denny herself.

My second one should be of interest to all guitar players, - a top twenty list of acoustic  guitar intros.

Then a drum solo by Ginger Baker, who sadly died earlier this month.

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