bluesshow bob's blues show blog |
A YEAR IN A LIFE (A REVIEW) This past twelve months has been a period of significant change in the lives of me and the wife. Having been retired for a while, we couldn't decide where we wanted to live; in Cardiff where we had a history, roots and family or in France in the house we'd bought as a project some 15 years earlier but specifically as a retirement home to see us through our Autumn years. So, Cardiff or Brittany? We deliberated, discussed, debated, and finally decided. And moved to the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park in west Wales. As with all major life decisions, there were upsides and downsides. On the plus side, we would be moving from an urban area to a country retreat which is a mere ten minute walk from lovely beaches with crystal waters. When the early-morning light is right, you could imagine that the term 'sea green' was created here. The lane on which we now live often has a grassy stripe down the centre, it's so little used, and we see the seasons evolving on the banks - recent drifts of snowdrops gave way to clumps of primroses and wood anemones. Next come the bluebells which are bulking into blankets on the banks and in the adjoining copse. Plus we're now seeing evidence of foxgloves as their leaves begin spreading and seeking the light. Fantastic ferns are preparing to open in the shady areas, their heads resembling ammonites, shepherds' crooks or coiled cobras. And of course - this being Wales - hosts of golden daffodils. On the minus side of the decision to up sticks, I had to terminate my regular show with GTFM 107.9 where I had produced and presented a dedicated live-to-air Blues show every week for over thirteen years. (For those interested in statistics, it was for many years the only dedicated Blues music show being aired from Wales and was also one of the longest-running radio shows of its type broadcast from the UK). I did try commuting to the station a couple of times but the almost 200 mile round trip meant it just wasn't feasible. So, what to do? Having already established a relationship with a couple of internet stations over the preceding four years or so, I decided to record a weekly show from home and offer this to them for broadcast. Another station also said they'd like to air the show (although they seem to have subsequently disappeared into the airwaves ethers a few months later) so it seemed like a good way to transition from my FM presence and, hopefully, take a few of my regular listeners on the journey with me. Thinking that my days of interviewing stars of the Blues world were over, I settled into a routine: We got a rescue dog from a shelter, then every day we walk with him early in the morning, again in the evening and then fit in whatever we can in between. It is often said that people get bored in retirement and this is what sees them off before they've had the chance to punish the exchequer for a refund of 45 or more years of contributions. I sometimes wish I had the chance to get bored... Lots of my time every week is spent receiving, cataloguing and sampling new Bluesic from lots of sources - many are long-established contacts made over the years but some are new additions and this allows me a broader range of artists to set out on my aural stall. The weekly show which I record - The Blues Exclusive - generally takes me about four hours so counts as a day when mixed into the dog-walking melange. (Had we decided to move to France, this would have been called Le Blues Exclusif which might not have been grammatically correct). A couple of weeks back, I recorded show #52 - the first anniversary show. My decision to move away from the bright lights of the big city had made me think that my relationship with Bluesic and its performers might begin to fade into history. Not a bit of it. As well as being invited to join the organising committee of the long-established Tenby Blues Festival (this year's event is from November 10 - 12), during the year I have interviewed a long-time favourite of mine, former Junior Wells sideman, Albert Castiglia, riding high on his latest solo album 'Big Dog'. I was invited to the home of my hero, Andy Fairweather Low, to record an exclusive interview about his 50 year (so far) musical career. On the same day, I was asked to introduce the band Glas when they recorded their Live album 'Just A Stage We're Going Through' in front of an audience - they surprised me by keeping part of my introduction on the album for which I'm very grateful. I again introduced all of the main stage acts at the Abertillery Rock & Blues Weekend continuing a tradition that has brought me to Abertillery every July since 2004 – (2017 Festival dates July 7 - 9). I also got to chat with Kaz Hawkins just the day after she was selected to represent the United Kingdom at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis (and just this week, she and her band have won the European Blues Challenge 2017 - it's been quite a year for them too)! I recorded interviews with old friends Lisa Mills and Paul Lamb and chatted briefly with Brits who are currently impacting the international stage, Ian Siegal and Joanne Shaw Taylor, as well as wunderkind Laurence Jones. Also, during the year, I interviewed American stars Marcia Ball, Dustin Arbuckle of Moreland & Arbuckle, and (possibly one of my biggest scalps to date) Bruce Iglauer, the founder and President of Alligator Records - a label which has probably spawned more Blues musical talent than anyone since the legendary Chess label. All interviews have either been aired on the Blues Exclusive or will be aired shortly. I also had an hour chatting with another (non-Blues) hero, Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel; our third meeting over the past 12 years. So, that covers the Bluesical year. What else have I been up to? Well, I've been regularly attending a 'bread club' where, under expert supervision - but in a very convivial atmosphere - we learn to make breads from across the world. More of that in a soon-to-arrive non-musical Blog which may well include a couple of recipes. I'll also tell you about my art classes, my allotment and assorted experiences over the past year. But very topically - I've also returned to one of my early loves which is writing... A couple of decades back, I had some sketches aired on television and, like many people, feel that there might be a novel in me somewhere. So, it's under way. Currently, though, my priority is writing a 'treatment' of Elen's Island for submission to television companies. For anyone who doesn't know 'Elen's Island' you've clearly not been following me on Facebook. It's the first childrens' novel written by my elder daughter, Eloise. A second novel 'Gaslight' - this one based in Victorian Cardiff - has just been published. Check out her publications at http://www.eloisewilliams.com/ They're darned good! Oh! Here's some 'news just in' - The Blues Exclusive has now been included in the schedules of Blues411, a very well established dedicated internet Blues broadcaster (that's almost an anniversary present - see Home page for airtimes) so I'm a very happy Easter bunny. More to come very soon.
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Most of my Blogs have at least a passing affiliation with Blues music. This one won't - apart from, perhaps, sharing the fact that Blues music has often been political, sometimes subversively and sometimes totally overtly. My wife and I have just returned from our first trip to Berlin. Over the years I've read lots about the city; John Le Carre and Len Deighton's novels often featured spy exchanges here as it formed the border between the West and the Eastern Bloc. It was also where David Bowie, my ultimate musical hero, recorded three albums: 'Low', 'Heroes' and 'Lodger'. The visit was to me to be something of a pilgrimage for that reason. For my wife it was the opportunity to visit one of the famed German Christmas markets as well as, for us both, the chance to discover a little of the city's history. What's detailed above was pretty much my knowledge of the city before my visit. Oh! I also recall driving home from London when I worked there in 1989, listening to Radio 4 as they gave us live coverage of the fall of the Berlin Wall. I knew that this was history in the making but hadn't really grasped the intensity of the popular groundswell and the sheer guts and determination shown that day by the East Berliners. I am ashamed to admit that, although so much of Berlin's recent history has taken place in my lifetime, I'd never truly understood or felt the extreme way in which the East Berliners were subjugated by their oppressive and brutal regime. I got to visit the building housing the Bowie studio and we drank some gluhwein at a Christmas market. But those much-anticipated events became the almost frivolous backdrop to our visit. I am not a particularly political animal. My head has rarely been raised above the parapet over anything more important than mere office politics. But my brief visit to Berlin has moved me deeply and I feel compelled to write of it.
Berlin was a broken city by the end of the Second World War; allied bombs having ripped it apart. As peace descended, the Allies divided up the city with each claiming parts as their own. There were the American, British and French sectors representing the Western democracies and the Russian sector which transmuted into East Berlin. Historically, this style of division was nothing new following a conflict. We Brits are old hand at it: India/Pakistan, Israel/Palestine being just two examples of how dividing a nation of people for political purposes has never, ever worked successfully. Particularly unique in the case of Berlin was the fact that the whole city (including the Western parts) fell within the geographical confines of East Germany. In August of 1961 - despite assurances a couple of months earlier that it could never happen - the East Germans built a wall dividing the city in two; East and West. This took place so suddenly that whole families, living just streets apart, were prevented from having any further contact. Residents of the East became virtual prisoners with no way of getting to the West unless they could escape the border guards, the dogs and the rifles. Any attempt to escape was a shooting offence. A death sentence. Expressing an opinion which was regarded as negative to the regime led to people being hauled before the secret police and incarcerated. Or worse. It was an Orwellian nightmare and this is how it thrived. If you cannot freely express your views without fear of retribution then those views are silenced. No criticism of the state is possible and by this, the state becomes all-powerful. Add to this the immense disincentive of certain death if not toeing the party line and you have a controlled, suppressed population. In Berlin, people risked everything to get to the West. Literally. Many tried. And many died. I think all of our children should be taught about Berlin to give them some insight into how fortunate we are to live in a free society. For adults, I would recommend a visit and would suggest the following: 'The Gate', a hundred metres from the Brandenburg Gate gives 300 years of Berlin's history in 20 tear-jerking minutes and for me would be the starting point for any future tour. Next would be the 'Checkpoint Charlie Museum' which is a humbling yet fascinating experience. Then, most certainly, the 'Topography of Terror' which documents the rise of the Third Reich and the Nazis which might provide a cautionary note to those who object to racial harmony. Sit for a moment and consider this. (Impossible though it is). Try to place yourself in the position of an East Berliner. What if your own town or city were divided so you could no longer travel freely to see a sister, a friend, a favoured shop or restaurant? Any attempt to do so would lead to your certain death or, at the least, imprisonment. How would it be if you could not express discontent with the progress or otherwise of Brexit? For those in the States, how would you feel if unable to criticise your President or President-elect? These are things we all take for granted in a free society. We can all offer our opinion. It is inconceivable that it should be otherwise. But this freedom brings with it a solemn responsibility. To ensure that our future remains free, we must not single out parts of our society to deride or to treat differently. Dividing a nation, as history has so often proved, can lead to its downfall. We should have the same respect for the rights and views of people of all colours, creeds and political affiliation- we may not agree but we should offer them the opportunity to state their views. Marginalising any parts of society is a recipe for disaster and inhumanity. I find it alarming that the people who voted for Brexit are being labelled as racists by parts of the British media. My own conversations lead me to believe that most voted against remaining in the European Community because they feared the loss of sovereignty and the continued absorption of independent thought and national identity being sucked away by the expensive behemoth with its petty rules and regulations for every aspect of our lives. The 'Remoaners' (What a derisive and divisive term!) complain that they have not been advised what Brexit actually means. Well, let's face it: no-one truly knows. This is unprecedented in the whole of history so I imagine that there are politicians, diplomats and civil servants all over Europe scratching their heads and wondering "How the hell do we sort this out?" But it will, in time, become clear how the future will be and that future will be democratically arrived at. I have to say this: I was moved to tears several times on my visit to Berlin but my overwhelming feeling on coming away was of awe at the sheer will of man to overcome oppression; the strength of humanity to overcome adversity. There are clear lessons here for us all if we value true democracy. Anyway, that was my political rant. Visit Berlin if you get the chance. I'll certainly return there. Now I'd like to finish with a message for all my listeners (and readers). A very schmaltzy opening script (reminiscent, perhaps, of a Swedish porn film "I'm your TV repair man. " "Ooh, come inside...") leads to a great song from David Bowie and Bing Crosby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiXjbI3kRus Wishing you all you would wish yourselves for the festive season and 2017. It takes a lot of preparation to get a festival under way, you know. And also to write a personal review of the event. So, here's my preview of a review which is actually a brief overview which I hope you will view and let me have your views (Phew...) Knowing I'd be fully committed for the whole weekend, I started by beginning the recording of Blues Exclusive # 34 on the Thursday. This, I figured, would allow me a good launch for completing the job post weekend so I could send it off, as usual, on Monday. Having completed about 70 minutes of the show, I felt smugly ahead of the game. I mentioned in my last Blog that I was seeking assistance to cover the Blues Trail - with 26 performers at 20 venues over Saturday and Sunday afternoons, it was impossible for me to get to all to ensure the musicians were ready to start at their scheduled time and to announce those who wanted an introduction. Enter (Stage Left) Norm, my former co-host at the GTFM Blues Show. For those who don't know, we aired a weekly two-hour dedicated Blues Show from January 2003 until March 2016. I spent Thursday evening devising a sensible schedule for us to get to the venues in time then cross-referencing the lists with the maps of the town. Never was a foray more meticulously planned. For those who never heard our show (Shame on you!) there's a photo below - you may recognise us from festivals all over the UK... The beauty of a festival like this is the true sense of community which has developed over the years. This was the eleventh year and some people have not yet missed a single one. For them, it is in some ways a pilgrimage. Regardless of race or creed this weekend is a tonic for the soul. There are always many veterans of previous campaigns in the bars, cafes and clubs of The Trail and I love meeting up with old friends - followers and artists. Newcomers are welcomed warmly (literally this year as the weather was really pleasant). Some come for specific days just to see a particular performer or band; others are there for the duration. This year's event was touched with sadness too as we lost Pat Grover, the President of the Festival, just a few short months ago. I am certain that Pat would have smiled, probably cracked a joke and then encouraged everyone to just enjoy themselves and have a great weekend. I'll be paying tribute to Pat and his music on a forthcoming Blues Exclusive. Friday evening - There was an air of expectancy about the De Valence Pavilion as we approached the kick-off. I met up with Norm and we ran through the lists for the following days. Although we're now both hosting Blues shows on different stations, we agreed that we'd do joint interviews. (It'll be interesting to see how this works out when I begin the edit). We got to interview several of the performers over the weekend and I'll be posting details of the upcoming broadcasts (i.e. which Blues Exclusive will feature which artist on the Gig Review page. I'll also be reviewing some of the individual performances there in coming days as well as reviewing several new CDs on the CD Review page). Come back to this website every day or two as it will have lots of new content being added. Back to the festival... Lisa Mills was first up, delivering songs from her soon to be released album 'Mama's Juke Book'. Lisa has a way of pulling a crowd in and this was no exception. We later chatted with her about the album in her dressing room. We didn't get to see much of Leburn Maddox Band as we were with Lisa but all reports I've heard (and the little I saw) suggest that he went down really well with the crowd. Gerry Jablonski's Electric Band finished the evening with a very full-on performance which delighted the audience. We decided it would be wise to avoid the late night show because I've been there in earlier years and know it goes on really late. There was a full programme for us for the next couple of days and we didn't want to be serving the festival badly by stumbling from venue to venue red-eyed and ragged. Reports from the late-night session were very positive. Saturday daytime - Norm and I bounced around Tenby like the silver balls in a flipper machine, checking that performers were ready set and go and introducing those who wanted us to do this. We bumped into each other occasionally and the consensus was that things were running smoothly and the mood in the camp was high. Saturday evening - We completed the trail for the day with aching feet (knew it was a mistake to wear new trainers when I'd donned them in the morning) and a sense of relief. There had been no major hiccups and we were really anticipating the evening's entertainment. I'll be writing separate reviews of performances from Glas and Bella Collins Band on other pages in the next day or two but they will be very positive reviews. Paul Lamb & The Kingsnakes - A late substitute for King King who withdrew because their lead singer/guitarist, Alan Nimmo has health problems, Paul and The Kingsnakes were really on form. Paul has had his own medical issues in recent years but this in no way impeded his crowd-pleasing performance. I've seen Paul on many occasions (indeed, I've introduced the band a few times at festivals) and always enjoyed every minute of their shows. And a festival crowd always seems to bring out the very best from the band. After the show we interviewed Paul and this will feature in a Blues Exclusive shortly. During The Kingsnakes' set, we dashed to the Church House to take a quick look at The Rumblestrutters. They performed a fabulous set with a number of tracks from their debut album 'Prohibition Blues'. I'll be reviewing the album in a day or two. Late-night session - At times like these, I recognise how age is taking its toll. With some sterling performances from Bella Collins. Chad Strenz (of the Kingsnakes), Christian Presse and even Paul Lamb himself the music was delightful. We snagged interviews with Bella then Paul - both featuring soon on the Blues Exclusive. Why is age taking its toll? Well, my hearing is not what it was - I blame it on Led Zeppelin and a night in Cardiff's Capitol Theatre back in 1971. The experience was painful because it was so loud. (I remember Long John Baldry telling me once that he went to their first concert as The New Yardbirds and they were so loud they gave him a nose-bleed). Anyway, after a day of being on my feet and walking more than I do when I take my collie walkies I was very worn out. I realised it was time to go home when I was chatting with Chris Osborne, Chair of the festival, and realised I couldn't hear much of what he was saying because of the ambient noise. (Is 65 too young to be getting a discrete hearing aid? Maybe I need to grow my hair again...) As I was about to leave, I was introduced to Dale Storr and we had a great chat about his music and other New Orleans-style piano players. I'd like to have continued the conversation but knew in my heart it was time to head for home. I got there about 2.45 a.m. and then couldn't sleep! Sunday afternoon - After struggling awake and getting to Tenby before midday, it was on with The Trail again. Norm abandoned ship around 4.00 p.m. as he had pressing things to do - he was, I know, very disappointed to have to miss the final night of the festival. Between Trail times, I returned to the De Valence and ended up talking with Kaz Hawkins Band's Tour Manager, David. Just the previous night, they'd played at the Robin 2 as one of the four finalists in the UK Blues Challenge and they'd won. This means that they will now be representing the UK in Memphis in the International Blues Challenge as well as in the European Blues Challenge. As you might expect, the ensemble were flying high. I chatted with Kaz in her dressing room and this interview will feature in Blues Exclusive # 35 (That's next week). I was also at the De Valence when the Ian Siegal Band arrived and I helped carry their equipment from the van. As a drum was handed to me from the van, I realised that the young man handing it over was young Joel Fisk, the renowned guitarist from the London area. We spoke briefly and he told me he was playing with Ian Siegal just for this tour (marking Ian's 25 years as a touring musician).
Other reviewers will doubtless be offering their detailed opinions on the evening's performances. For me, suffice to say that with artists of this calibre you're always guaranteed a great night's entertainment. And these bands did it in spades. Festival done and dusted, and after a brief restorative sleep, I returned to my recording of this week's Blues Exclusive. It was very difficult to pick up after a whole weekend away from it. In fact, it felt like weeks since I'd last paid it any attention but this tends to be the festival experience; it is sometimes a shock to realise that something that happened weeks ago in your head had actually taken place just the day before. Keep reading and listening in coming days - there's an awful lot more of the Tenby Blues Festival 2016 to disseminate. |