Like 1999

16th August 2022

 
Oh well, my Odometer turned the 100,000 milestone on the way over. As host for the evening, I started 1-minute late in deference to this clockwise omen. So, I wasn’t exactly prepared to “party-like-it’s-99” and you can’t turn it back can you. However, there was a bit of a party vibe going on in there. It was a very nice summer’s night; kind of loose and uninhibited – resourceful.
 
I sound checked in with a bit of Duke Ellington material and picked up the pace with some R&B to be followed by Simon [c/w Elvis, whose Odometer was being celebrated intermittently, the anniversary of his death still on the clock]. After that, some folk music by Steph including a lovely ‘Dropped D’ instrumental Irish piece on guitar. That’s an expansive tuning and it permeated through the humid stillness of this rather atmospheric evening. Helen put us back in the 60s prior to Lisa & Jason with a couplet of duets [like a summer breeze] before being joined by Helga on flute at this point [when I seem to have dispensed with taking notes by giving them instead as a resident “Blues Guitarist”.
 
With the addition of Keith panned right [acoustic] and me on the left [electric], it sounded quite good as a Blues/Jazz soundscape.
 
Okay, having had a cup of tea, I refer to my somewhat less than chronological, scrawled out list. Oh yes, Heather & C J Martin started, out of necessity perhaps, to sound like a consolidated duo as they pooled their resources before turning it around into ‘Chris & Heather’ [recollections may vary at this juncture], you see: ‘resourceful’ is good! As is ‘’Tilsmore’, a good duo consisting of John & Bev. And another good duo consisting of ‘Charlie & Lucy’. Then it was time for John Stevens with his PRS Electric Guitar [a performer’s rights must be upheld in this society] and the Songbook of Covers; Party 99, it may not be, but the spirit was there. Keith, the consummate visionary, put us back to some original material through the literary lens of his metaphorical ‘Telescope’ - analogous to his in-the-moment miked-up guitar [Keith’s a wordsmith].
 
The surprise of the evening, though, was BRENDA! She sat, she danced, she plucked up the courage to get up with it and sing for us. More, very well supported, ELVIS ensued – it woz emotional!
 
Penultimately, Ian came on to conclude really. With his unique 12-string sound being conducive to his well sung, well expressed songs of natural environments. Starting locally. he produced some touching imagery for the mind and the soul; the man delivered …. After Ian kicked Dim Tim [me] to the curb ‘The Stereo Soundscape’ resumed for some steppin’ out blues, for people to walk out to as the Ark disembarked leaving us to clear its hollow deck for the next turn of events.
 
And my old Fiat 500 hummed all the way home – “Shall-we-do-it-again?”
 
Manus

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