Almost eleven months to the day after first seeing Jenny Colquitt live at the Brindley Theatre in Runcorn, I was back there again the weekend before last for what is quickly becoming something of a hometown gig for Jenny. Runcorn is technically not Jenny's home town, but it is a mere hop, skip and a jump across the river from Widnes. The Brindley is a brilliant venue to showcase Jenny's talents with the sound and lighting always being top notch and the view from the tiered seating is excellent.
A lot has happened for Jenny in those eleven months including a successful debut album release, various live dates and several festival appearances, most notably the Glastonbury festival.
Kicking things off was a support set from Luke James Williams. In thirty or so minutes, we were given a flavour of Luke's music and it was a preview that made me want to hear more. The music plus the affable nature of this young man from Cambridgeshire made this an enjoyable start to the evening.
After a short interval, it was time for the main event. Jenny was welcomed to the stage by a much deserved full house at the Brindley and anticipation was palpable. It was an emotional evening and, with this in mind, the setlist was judged to perfection.
Jenny has an impressive and still growing catalogue of songs to choose from and was superb in every iteration - solo, duo, trio and full band. The whole set was tremendous but personal highlights included hearing Soldier of the Modern Day and the James Bond theme-esque Paradise played live for the first time.
For various reasons, I came into this gig in a low state of mind. I left the venue feeling immeasurably better. Such is the power of live music to uplift, especially when someone as proficient as Jenny Colquitt is providing it. I feel certain that it is only a matter of time until Jenny is playing venues much bigger than this one.
At the risk of missing any December latecomers, I thought it was the right time to put together my list of top ten albums of 2021.
Right off the bat, I'm going to make it clear that this is just a list of ten albums. If I tried to rank these from one to ten, I think I'd be here until this time next year.
In the process of putting together this list, I'd made a note of several albums that I could have sworn had come out in 2021. They were however 2020 albums which just goes to show my concept of what happened and when in the last couple of years has been knocked off kilter.
It has felt at times like one day has merged into the next and in some ways it is music that has helped me get through it. Whether it has been music releases, online streams or the tentative return of live music, it has all given me hope that better things are to come in 2022.
Anyway, with all that said, on with the list....
Claudia Combs Carty - Phases (EP)
Margo Cilker - Pohorylle
Jenny Colquitt - Something Beautiful
ELY - Black Smoke (EP)
Sierra Ferrell - Long Time Coming
Jackson & Sellers - Breaking Point
Charlie Marie - Ramble On
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Raise The Roof
Emily Scott Robinson - American Siren
Morgan Wade - Reckless
Honourable mentions: Leah Blevins - First Time Feeling Ashland Craft - Travelin' Kind Katie Jo - Pawn Shop Queen Lainey Wilson - Sayin' What I'm Thinkin'
As strange a year as 2021 has been, it's been a great one in my opinion for new music releases. Perhaps enforced lockdowns on and off managed to get the creative juices flowing but there have been some brilliant new albums and EPs released in the last twelve months.
I look forward to more great music coming out in 2022!
Sometimes, the right gig comes along at just the right time.
Following a busy few weeks and with the winter drawing in, what was badly needed was an evening to uplift. A time to just sit back and enjoy music in the organic way that a venue like the Kitchen Garden and an artist like Danni Nicholls can combine to so wonderfully provide.
Danni mentioned that having recently returned from a trip to the States, she may have still been feeling the effects of jet lag. This was however in no way reflected in the quality of the performance which was top drawer as usual. The musical fruits from the aforementioned American trip were teased with the playing of a brand new song which was excellent and will be part of a forthcoming release which will be something to look forward to.
A double headline set with no support was an unexpected treat and the two sets of roughly fifty minutes each featured a lovely mix of newer and older songs. This performance just whet the appetite for the re-arranged gig at the fabulous Milton Keynes Stables next year. This and the promise of new music will be a shining light of 2022 I'm sure.
Danni Nicholls is an artist who is fully immersed in every song she performs. This is evident in her quintessential pose of eyes closed, feeling every song and note.
The Kitchen Garden continues to put on some wonderful evenings of music. These type of gigs are more what I'm leaning towards these days. What better than such a wonderfully intimate setting for some live music? It certainly beats paying hundreds of pounds to squint up at an artist on a big screen, whilst sat miles away from the performance.
15th October 2021 feels like it will go down as a significant date in the history of my live music attendance.
One of the silver linings from the cloud of the last couple of years has been my discovery of the music of Jenny Colquitt. Jenny is a wonderfully gifted singer songwriter from Widnes in the top left corner of Cheshire. I was wowed by her voice the very first time I heard it and I became an instant fan. Jenny has released two EP albums to date and her debut full length album is out in November, something I am very much looking forward to.
I just knew that I would have to see Jenny live at the first chance I got and her “home” gig across the river in Runcorn seemed like the perfect choice. The Brindley Theatre is an excellent location for live music with lighting and sound quality absolutely top notch.
The evening started with a brilliant 30 minute support set from Liverpool's Esme Bridie. A name I have to admit I had not come across in the past but her meaningful vocals and clever guitar playing provided a brilliant prelude to what was to come.
After a short interval, it was time for Jenny Colquitt to enter the stage. What followed was an absolute masterclass of music. Effortlessly moving between guitar, harmonica and keyboard accompaniment, Jenny wowed everyone in attendance with her wonderful lyrics and extraordinary vocals.
Jenny writes from the heart on a variety of subjects and her songs about mental health are particularly meaningful for me personally, having known people who have struggled with this in the past. I was also moved to have one of my favourite songs Poetry of You sung for me. Thanks Jenny, it was a special moment that I will remember for a long time.
The absolute cherry on the top of the cake was the encore - Jenny's stunning cover of Sting's "Fields of Gold". I don't make such comparisons lightly but I couldn't help but be reminded of Eva Cassidy's version of this song - one of the all time great voices in my opinion.
After having watched many of Jenny's internet streams, it was something of a surreal moment to actually see Jenny perform - in 3D as it were! It's an amazing feeling to have had such high expectations for an event truly and utterly exceeded. Months of anticipation in the build up to this and it was honestly one of the best gigs I've ever been to.
As well as the forthcoming release of her debut album, Jenny also has more music coming out soon as lead singer of the band ELY. There is plenty to look forward to in the next few months.
I can't wait to see what the next few years hold for this talented singer songwriter. The sky's the limit.
Almost eighteen months to the day since my last one, last Sunday night I went to an indoor gig. I went to a couple of "outdoor" gigs in the summer, both at the Kitchen Garden Cafe in Birmingham, and last Sunday night's gig was also at the same venue. It has become my favourite venue to see live music. I may be getting old before my time but there are several aspects of this place that I very much like. A chair to sit on, a table to put a drink on, and a venue intimate enough that you get a great view wherever you are sat, to name just three. I have attended a variety of different gigs here and the sound quality is always absolutely spot on, whatever the style of music. Obviously I have to go to the locations where my favourite artists are performing but I would always favour this venue if I had the choice.
I took my seat roughly ten minutes before the gig was due to start and I can admit to feeling a little bit apprehensive. Despite the impression that many people seem to give, I know that the pandemic is not yet over. I'm still working on balancing returning to a normal life but also still being sensible and not taking unnecessary risks. I'm fully aware that my actions can have an impact on family, friends and work colleagues.
However by about half way through the first song by the Sara Petite Band, I felt completely at ease. Sara's joyful and traditional style, ably assisted by the talents of guitarist Joe Coombs and upright bass player Scott Warman, provided a wonderful evening of music on what was the final night of the tour. The band performed several from Sara's latest album "Rare Bird" and also a few from her back catalogue including a new favourite of mine, "Lead the Parade", from the album of the same name.
Despite a 1am deadline for travel to a Heathrow hotel ahead of a flight back across the Atlantic, Sara was happy to sign CDs and chat to people after the gig. Another of the great things about the Kitchen Garden gig experience is the connection formed between performer and audience. In comparison, large arena concerts can seem very impersonal at times.
I'd also at this point like to give a shout out to the Tour manager Peter. Every gig that I have attended where Peter has been involved have always been top notch. I can only imagine the logistical challenges involved in staging a UK tour for an American artist during the circumstances in which we currently find ourselves. It's not something I will take for granted ever again.
Every now and then, an artist comes to my attention that just has a special something about them. Something different that sets them apart from the rest.
I’d seen several mentions of Morgan Wade’s debut album as something I should definitely check out. I’m always seeing lots of different recommendations in various places but when several were all saying the same thing, I couldn’t help but think, “Hmm, maybe there is something to this”.
In anticipation of her album coming out on 19th March, I listened to the songs that I could find to see what all the fuss was about. The first song I listened to was called “The Night” which was released in 2019. To say I was blown away is an understatement of truly gigantic proportions. The tone of Morgan’s voice, the grittiness, the rasp, the painful honesty. All things that are in plentiful supply in country music, this being one of the main reasons I love the genre.
There was one line in that song in particular that totally bowled me over:
My mind likes to talk about everything I am not
and even worse everything I am
Just incredible - so much emotion and feeling in those words. Morgan has clearly had several demons to conquer in her life thus far, but perhaps her song writing and music gives her the perfect outlet to express those emotions.
In the runup to the album release, my expectations were high to say the least and the record met those expectations and so much more. Reckless has shot to the top of my list of favourite albums of 2021 and it will take something extraordinary over the next few months to knock it into second place.
If I’m being at my most pedantic, I would have one very small criticism. The grittiness and the rasp mentioned earlier seem to have been toned down slightly for the album. It is those things that particularly drew me towards Morgan's music. Having said that, I can look forward to the day I can enjoy the voice and the songs in person at a live concert.
For me it is quite a rare occurrence, but now and again I hear a new artist and I am completely
stopped in my tracks. I have discovered many new artists to listen to
courtesy of Linda's show Voice of a Woman, however one stands out
head and shoulders above the rest in 2020.
Voice of a Woman broadcasts on a
Sunday at 6pm and listening to the show is normally something I
combine with getting tea ready, eating tea and clearing up
afterwards. I remember vividly that I was in my kitchen washing up
the first time that I heard the music of Jenny Colquitt. Linda played
her song “Tell Me Where The Light Is” and I was instantly
captured by the sound. I was truly mesmorised and it was only the
song finishing and the realisation that I was dripping soapy water
all over the kitchen floor that snapped me back to some level of
awareness of what was going on around me. This was not a feeling I
had experienced since the first time I heard the music of Eva
Cassidy.
Jenny is a talented and
versatile singer-songwriter and her music spans many different
genres. She has two EP albums of her own music out but she is also
equally adept at producing excellent cover versions of many different
classic songs, again covering many different styles. Jenny has what I
would call a “magic ear”, when it comes to interpreting a song,
putting her own twist on it while still retaining the original
essence of the song.
The 2016 EP “The Quiet Kind”
and the 2020 follow up “Dear Daughter” are both superb and I have
posted the Bandcamp link at the bottom of this post. Please check out
Jenny's music there, stream it on Spotify and look up Jenny's social
media accounts. She also streams regularly on Youtube and Facebook
and has just started streaming on Twitch as well so there are plenty
of chances to hear Jenny live (or at least as close to live as we can
manage at the moment).
Jenny's songwriting is very
honest and genuine. She truly writes from the heart and her songs are
full of passion and feeling. What I like is that she doesn't shy away
from writing songs about difficult subjects. Songs such as “I am
Yours” which is about addiction, it is difficult to not be moved by
Jenny's performance as emotion seeps out of every pore.
I can't wait to see where the
journey takes her in 2021. Seeing Jenny live in concert is one of the
first things I want to do when it is safe to do so, restrictions are
eased and live music can begin to take place again. It will be a
special moment.
Please visit Jenny's website by clicking on the link below: Jenny Colquitt Music
Almost exactly
twelve months ago, a message was posted to my Facebook group
advertising the first episode of a brand new radio show. My Facebook
group exists to promote women in country music and a radio show that
does exactly the same seemed like a good match.
Voice of a Woman is produced and
presented by Linda and broadcasts on Claremorris Community Radio
every Sunday at 6pm. It is also repeated on a Tuesday afternoon at
4pm. The show promotes and shines a light on female artists in the
country, Americana and folk genres. As these are my favourite genres
and added to the fact that I mostly listen to female singers, I have
become a regular listener of the show.
Linda is one of the most
enthusiastic and genuine supporters of women in music that I know. I
enjoy finding new artists to listen to and, in the last twelve
months, a large proportion of my new favourites are thanks to
listening to Voice of a Woman. This time last year, I'd never heard
of names such as Robbie Harte, Kree Harrison, Nell Bryden, Cerian,
Lorraine Nash, Emily Ann Roberts and Jenny Colquitt – just to name
a few. All of these and many more have become artists that I
regularly listen to. Variety is the spice of life as they say and
I've always liked listening to many different artists – I could
never just listen to the same handful of singers and bands over and
over again. I love that there is just so much variety out there, a
sound for every mood!
The music industry must be so
difficult to crack and with the added problems caused by a worldwide
pandemic, I can only imagine how important Linda's unwavering support
is for these artists. Not being able to hold a tune to save my life,
I will never be an artist myself but promoting your own music must
seem like a relentless slog at times. It must mean the world to have
Linda in your corner shining a light on your work, her positivity and
ebullience when it comes to music is pretty unmatched in my
experience.
The turbulent year that was 2020
contained very few constants but for me listening to Voice of a Woman
has been something that I have come to rely on. I have worked full
time throughout the pandemic, and just at that point on a Sunday
evening where the worries about going back to work are starting to
manifest themselves, listening to the show feels a bit like nectar
for the soul. For that one hour every week I can forget about
whatever else is going on in the world and truly immerse myself in
some great music.
Please keep doing what you're
doing Linda, speaking for myself I really appreciate it and I'm
positive that there are many artists out there who also greatly
appreciate what you do. Under normal circumstances I'm sure that we
would have met in person at a gig by now. Rest assured, when that
time comes I'm sure there will be a lengthy conversation all about
music! I look forward to that day.
The recent positive news that two different Coronavirus vaccines have been approved for use in the UK has made many wonder if we have finally turned a corner with the virus that has blighted our lives for much of the last 12 months.
With a handful of exceptions, live music has pretty much been at a standstill since the middle of March.
My own introduction to country music came back in the early part of 2017. Kevin, a friend and former work colleague, recommended that I listen to a live broadcast that was happening on BBC Radio 2. It was a pop-up station at a country music festival called "Country to Country" and the show was being broadcast live from the O2 Arena in London. I had never given country music all that much thought but Kevin has never steered me badly when it comes to music suggestions so, "What the heck" I thought, and switched on the show.
I was immediately greeted by the sound of a band performing an excellent cover of "Bohemian Rhapsody" - the most well known song of my favourite band Queen. After listening to the remainder of the broadcast, I found out that it was a group called Zac Brown Band. The singer had a decent voice and the band sounded excellent. Their own songs sounded great also and were more than enough to kick off my interest in country music.
Zac Brown Band - Bohemian Rhapsody - C2C London 2017
Following on from this, I became a regular listener of the Country Show with Bob Harris which broadcasts on a Thursday evening. My interest in country music grew exponentially and I have Bob to thank for introducing me to so many great artists.
Fast forwards a few months and I found out that a friend of a friend was also a country music fan and we were introduced at a gathering we were both attending. We spent some time together reeling off the names of artists we liked and it turned out we had quite a few favourites in common. One thing led to another, and we ended up booking tickets to attend the 2018 Country to Country event in London.
I enjoyed both the 2018 and 2019 Country to Country festivals, the latter containing my favourite live performance to date - Chris Stapleton's headline set on the Sunday evening. There was so much to see - live music for over 12 hours a day, every day - I went home at the end of the weekend happy but utterly exhausted.
Chris Stapleton - C2C London 2019
Country to Country started back in 2013 and on the back of its growing popularity in the UK, other country music festivals have sprung up in various guises all over the country. There is clearly a strong market for it now and these extra events afford a greater number of fans the chance to see some live country music by artists from all around the world.
One such event came to my attention in the Spring of 2019. The Long Road is a relatively new festival and takes place in the grounds of Stanford Hall in Lutterworth, Leicestershire. Geography being something of an interest of mine, without checking I knew roughly that this festival was less than an hour away from home. This provides an immediate advantage over C2C, which involves a three or four hour trek and all the logistical difficulties that a trip to London entails.
I didn't know much about The Long Road festival but it sounded promising enough so decided to buy a ticket for the Saturday just to see what it was like. The parking arrangements were straightforward and after a small amount of queuing I was admitted into the grounds. I attended with a friend, another country music fan and fellow first time visitor to the festival.
The Long Road is predominantly an outdoor festival and this is one of the main reasons that I enjoy it. It feels to me much more what I imagine a country music festival in America to be like. Obviously the festival being held in early September, as opposed to C2C which takes place in March, gives the event a much higher chance of being availed of decent weather. I could imagine that if the weather was rainy, the grounds could quickly be transformed into a Glastonbury-esque mud bath. If the forecast was poor, wellies should definitely be packed!
Fortunately the weather was favourable on the day I attended. Pleasantly warm, sunny spells in the afternoon although at that time of year the temperature can drop quickly in the evening. A choice of thin layers would be my recommendation. But anyway, enough talk about weather.
The festival is made up of several different stages. The main (Rhinestone) and smaller Front Porch stages are outside and completely open to the elements. The Interstate stage is a spacious covered tent area with a bar at one side which is always quite busy. The small, intimate Honky Tonk is a smaller indoor stage with very limited capacity. This stage is especially good for artists who are particularly good in a more up-close setting. The downside to this stage having a limited amount of space is that it tends to get busy early in the day and stays that way. If you're lucky enough to get a good spot, it's not something that you're going to want to give up. Quite often the less fortunate end up having to watch from the doorway. Being over six feet tall does have it's advantages in this kind of situation, however I am always conscious of not blocking the view of others!
Aside from the excellent choice of live music, there are also several stalls and various establishments dedicated to keeping you fed and watered. There were also some classic American cars on display. I didn't look too closely but they looked interesting and I would definitely have a closer look if they were there at future festivals. All of these things add to the excellent atmosphere and authenticity of the festival.
At this point in time, I think that it is fair to say that it is extremely doubtful that Country to Country 2021 will take place in March. It's a fast-changing situation but I feel like things are going to get much worse before the benefits of the vaccines are felt and restrictions can begin to be eased. I think with the Long Road being in September (and mostly outside) that it has a decent chance of taking place in some form.
The first part of the lineup was released a little while ago and it is fantastic. It is especially good if, like me, you are a fan of female country artists. Brandy Clark, Sunny Sweeney, Gretchen Peters, one of my personal favourites Whitney Rose, Sarah Shook, Lilly Hiatt, Roseanne Reid. It's just tick, tick, tick of artists that I want to see live. Backed up by up and coming British talent like Jess Thristan and Morganway - it really is a line up to savour. In fact, one of my friends who saw the line up described it as, "The best country festival line up I've ever seen in the UK". To think that this is only the first part of the line up, it could get a whole lot better which is incredible to think about!
As the terrible year of 2020 draws to a close, I look towards 2021 with a flicker of tentative optimism. I don't think anyone knows what form live music next year will take. Many of us are desperate for its return but we have to balance this with the overall picture of what is going on in the world.
At the time of writing this post, it has been 290 days and counting since I saw any live music. I'm sure that it could be quite a few more before I am in the presence of it again. When that day comes, it will be an emotional one - of that I am sure.
Before
the end of March this year, I'd never heard of a software programme
called Zoom. I had used Skype once or twice in the past, but when a
friend suggested to me that we “have a video chat on Zoom”, I
could only reply “What's Zoom?”. In the last six months, I would
say that I have used Zoom at least a couple of times a week. Whether
it's taking part in a virtual “pub quiz” with friends, staying in
touch with family, or going to a Zoom concert courtesy of CES Virtual
Shows, it's all been a very steep learning curve. Just one of several
new experiences for me this year.
Since
it started in January, I've been a regular listener to the “Voice
of a Woman” radio show which is broadcast on a Sunday evening on
Claremorris Community Radio in Ireland. Not being a resident of
Ireland, I've been listening to the show online. Linda, who presents
the show, does a fine job of promoting female singer songwriters,
focusing on country, Americana and folk music. This ties in nicely
with where most of my music listening lies nowadays and I've enjoyed
chatting to Linda about music and female artists on many occasions.
I
was delighted when Linda asked me a while ago if I would be
interested in putting together my own episode of the show. Delighted
and also at the same time a little daunted. I've never liked the way
that my voice sounds in recordings. I believe that this is not
uncommon but, even so, it was something of a concern. What I lack in
skill in many things, I feel like I make up some ground for in my
preparation.
I
conducted some testing to decide how I would go about recording my
voice for the spoken parts of the show. I tested my webcam
microphone, built in laptop microphone and also simply recording
speech using my mobile phone. I was somewhat surprised when the
latter provided the best quality of recording.
My
next conundrum was just how I would manage to select music for a show
that only lasted an hour. There are so many great female artists
worthy of recognition and so it felt like a herculean task to narrow
it down. From a selfish point of view, obviously I wanted to choose
my favourite artists and songs. However, I also had to consider the
types of music that the listeners would want to hear. I tried to play
a mix of newer music and also music from further back in time, well
known artists but also one or two lesser known that I wanted to
introduce to others. I feel that I more or less achieved this
objective and I was very happy with the end result. I've posted a
link to the Spotify playlist at the bottom of this post if you want
to check it out!
Towards
the end of the show, I made a general comment on how tough 2020 has
been for many people. Obviously this includes the artists. The live
music industry has been absolutely destroyed this year as a result of
the pandemic, a lot of artists have had to seek other ways of making
ends meet. Creative forms of merchandise have emerged and also there
has been the growth of the live stream, where fans are encouraged to
tip the artists. This part of the show was the most difficult part
for me to record. As I was talking about it, I don't mind saying I
felt emotional about it and it took about five attempts to record
this part before I was happy with it. In the grand scheme of things,
I know that being unable to see live music isn't all that important
but it is one of my main social outlets and something that I've not
been able to do now for eight and a half months.
“Voice
of a Woman” is the only radio show I listen to now and it is so
important that female artists are given as much support as possible.
It's a controversial topic I know, but there is no doubt in my mind
when I say that in my opinion female artists don't always get fair
treatment compared to their male counterparts. I've read stories of
radio DJs in America being fired because they played two songs by
female artists back to back. This just seems to me to be ludicrous.
Good music is all about the story, the songwriting, the voice and the
musicianship. Good music is good music, regardless of gender,
sexuality, creed or race.
I'm going to blame it on the pandemic. Missing live music happening is really starting to get to me and as a result I've started to reminisce about some of my favourite gigs over the years.
One that sticks firmly in my mind is the Whitney Rose gig I went to back in July 2019. At this point, it feels only right and proper to thank my friend Steve for introducing me to Whitney's music. I look forward to the day when we can be at a Whitney gig together. Hopefully, it will be at the Long Road 2021 (the first drink is on me!).
Whitney Rose is one of those rare artists where, with very little effort, I like everything she's recorded. I like the way she approaches songwriting. I like her voice - traditional-sounding country but with a contemporary twist. She's most definitely one of my favourite artists.
And so as soon as the 2019 UK tour was announced, I jumped at the chance to buy a ticket. The concert was at St Lawrence's Church in Biddulph, close to where I grew up, but now some fifty or so miles north of my current location. The gig was a Friday night and, after leaving work later than I intended, I endured a fraught rush hour journey north up the M6. A very quick McDonalds en route provided me with sufficient sustenance and I made it to the gig with about ten minutes to spare. Phew.
The concert kicked off with a support set from Demi Marriner and Robbie Cavanagh. I had seen Demi previously at a different gig in Birmingham but I had not seen her parter Robbie before. They each played a couple of songs individually and also came together to play as a duo as well. It was an excellent support set and, as is usually the case in a seated Church venue, the sound was superb. I thoroughly enjoyed their music and managed a brief chat to them in the interval and was happy to buy a couple of their CDs.
Robbie Cavanagh and Demi Marriner
After a short break, it was the moment I had been waiting for. Whitney Rose took to the stage. Without delay, she effortlessly and brilliantly performed several songs from her most recent (at the time) album, Rule 62. The zenith of the evening for me came with Whitney's version of the Lesley Gore song, "You Don't Own Me". This was delivered with power and passion and even ended with Whitney climbing into the church pulpit, which seemed a very brave thing to do! At the end of the song, I really wanted to give a standing ovation but I reneged on this thought. At a seated church concert with a mostly senior audience, it didn't seem appropriate but I regret not doing it to this day. It was a performance more than worthy of adulation.
The performance ended with much of the audience wanting more, which was duly supplied with an excellent encore. After the concert had finished, I was happy to join the sizable queue to chat to the lady herself. Whitney was just as charming as I expected and was happy to chat and sign a couple of things for me.
Meeting the lady herself after the gig - a sheer delight!
I wonder to myself why, more than twelve months on, am I posting this review now?As mentioned before, I am really missing live music at the moment. The memories of this gig are quite vivid, such was how much I enjoyed it and the impact that it had on me. Coming into the gig, I had very high expectations but they were more than met and plenty more. It was a wonderful evening.
In this blog post, I am going to look at how my music buying and consuming has changed over the years. It will be interesting for me to look back and hopefully it might be interesting for others too. I'm sure my music listening habits aren't all that different to a lot of you out there.
For me, it all began with messing about with some of my parent's records. I assume for obvious reasons that they only ever allowed me to play with the less valuable end of their collection. Although as a 6 or 7 year old, I'm pretty sure I spent just as much time arranging small plastic toys on the turntable and changing the speed in order that the toys flew off in random directions.
I graduated shortly after this to having a Sony Walkman and I would transfer some of my parents records to blank cassette tapes that I had bought from Woolworths using my pocket money. I would combine this with attempting to record songs off the Top 40 on a Sunday, normally stopping the recording about two seconds after the DJ had started talking over the end of the songs. I had many fun hours playing music on my trusty "ghetto blaster" - it still fully works and I've had it such a long time, the independent shop I bought it from closed years ago when the owner retired.
Panasonic ghetto blaster and Roberts radio - both still in perfect working order!
Soon after we got a dial up internet connection at home, I discovered a programme called
Napster where you could download music digitally from pretty much any artist or band you could imagine. Despite only having dial up, I thought at the time that it was fantastic. Normally I'd set a single song to download, get something to eat, and by the time I got back to the computer the transfer had either failed or completed. I guess that at the time I didn't consider how legal or otherwise this was.
I did always have a small music collection, firstly cassette tapes and then CDs. I would buy
the occasional one myself and I would also ask for albums for birthdays and Christmas, and so on. The majority of my music listening was by this point digitally, listening to mp3 files
normally while using the computer.
After a while, Napster was taken down and I went through a spell of not being all that
interested in music. I would listen to music in the background now and again, but I didn't
actively seek out new music.
Some time later, we were at a family gathering and I noticed that the host was playing some
background music from their laptop. The technology enthusiast in me was curious and so I had a bit of a gander at what programme they were using. The host caught me looking, "It's called Spotify. It's great, you can find pretty much any music you want on there." This all sounded very promising. For the price of only about one album a month I could have unlimited access to all the music I wanted. 99.9% of anything I've ever searched for I have been able to find, even some music that could be considered very obscure.
Streaming is just so convenient. For example, it saves me from having to have a bunch of CDs rolling around in the car getting damaged. That said, a few years ago I made a conscious decision to start a physical music collection again. Everyone's collection is different and is personal just to them. I like that it also directly supports the artist - the person or people responsible for producing the art form that I enjoy. I try my best to buy CDs directly from artists - whether that is at gigs (not really at the moment) or from their website. I also like to have CDs signed by the artist - it just makes it that bit more special. You just don't get that with music downloads. As a good friend said to me once, "You can't get an artist to sign an MP3 file"!
Part of my CD collection.
My OCD compels me to have it in alphabetical order!
While vinyl continues its comeback, physical CD sales are dwindling rapidly. Who knows what the future will hold? Some artists are moving more towards a more regular, download only EP approach. I'm more of a traditionalist myself - I like the build up and anticipation of a new album release. One or two songs are released ahead of time to whet the appetite and then the countdown is on until release day. I love the feeling of holding a brand new album, having it in my hand just makes it feel more special. I hope I continue to have that feeling for a long time to come.
In these times of no live music being possible due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it has been interesting to explore the various alternatives that have emerged. Following the very late cancellation of this year's Country2Country festival in March, my friend and I made the decision to still travel down to London as planned. It was a good chance for us to have a proper catch up and an opportunity to have a weekend away in the capital. We spent some time pottering around Greenwich and had a look at the Cutty Sark, something I'd wanted to do for a while. We got talking and both agreed that it would be good if we could still see some live music before the weekend was out. It was fairly obvious at this point what was about to happen with regards to the country having to go into lockdown. I spotted a gig advertised at the Kitchen Garden Café in Birmingham on the Sunday evening, so we made the decision to leave London earlier than planned and drove back up to Brum. The Magpies were a female folk group I'd heard promising things about and they did not disappoint. It was a thoroughly enjoyable gig and it turned out to be my final gig before the lockdown commenced at the end of March.
The Magpies - Kitchen Garden Cafe, Birmingham
15th March, 2020
It became apparent to me quite quickly that live music would not be an option for quite some time. This obviously caused great concern to many artists across the world, for whom playing live music provides a massive percentage of their overall income. Alternatives had to be explored. One such alternative that emerged was that of the internet live stream. Using various platforms including Facebook and Instagram, artists could play live in real time and fans from across the world could tune in and watch. When I first discovered these streams, I thought they were brilliant. It felt like in the absence of live music and gigs, this was the best option. I tried my best to keep up with watching all the streams that my favourite artists put on. Facebook was my stream platform of choice. The main reason for this was that most of the streams on there could be watched back at a later date. This was particularly useful as a lot of the streams from American artists were broadcast at times of the day that were not always UK-friendly.
As the popularity of these streams quickly grew, I found it increasingly difficult to keep up with all of them. Throughout the pandemic I have continued working full time and I just don't have the six or seven hours spare each day to watch internet live streams, as much as I would like to! I began to pick and choose more carefully the streams that I watched. Artists began to use virtual tip jars whereby fans watching the streams could donate money. This is something I have no issue with whatsoever - artists have a living to make in these strange times, just the same as the rest of us do. I have supported a few of the artists in this way and I have also bought some merchandise directly from artists. This was in the hope that by doing this I am maximising the amount that the artists receive, as opposed to buying from somewhere like Amazon. After a while, I began to get a little bored with the live streams. The interaction between the fans and the artists just wasn't there. Comments could be posted on the live streams but mostly the artist wouldn't see them. Rightly, they were too busy concentrating on playing as the comments whizzed past on the screen at some speed. Obviously the performances were live but at times it didn't feel all that different from watching videos on Youtube. The sound and video quality was also very varied. With the sheer quantity of streams available, an iPhone stream just didn't cut it any more. It is probably an exaggeration, but it also felt like some artists were doing streams nearly every day. Less is definitely more. Always leave them wanting more!
I began to feel restless again - I needed something more. Something better. I was browsing a Country music group on Facebook one day and spotted an advert from a site called CES Virtual Shows for a live show featuring the group Steel Blossoms. They are a group I have liked for a while now. In fact I was looking forward to seeing them earlier this year in Birmingham before it was postponed until next year. The show was advertised as a free interactive concert on Zoom, very different to the other internet live streams out there. My interest was well and truly piqued!
Steel Blossoms - CES Virtual Shows Live Zoom Concert
12th June, 2020
Immediately these shows felt just so much more fun. Attendee numbers are kept deliberately low and it is so much fun getting to chat to the artists in between songs. There is also a chance to speak to the other music fans before the artists start to perform. This feels like a real gig! There is also the very real bonus of sitting in comfort on a sofa, having access to a clean toilet and best of all there is no queue at the bar!
CES do a great job of finding a wide range of different artists, each gig is enjoyable in its own way. There is a chance to ask the artist questions between songs and this is very interesting and I've found out a lot more about the music industry.
Caitlin Cannon - CES Virtual Shows Live Zoom Concert
27th June, 2020
Amid the absolute glut of web streams out there, it is has been such a breath of fresh air to find something very different. It has also shown how fickle I can be. I was so happy initially to have the web streams but I quickly moved on when something better came along. I don't apologise for this, we all have to make the best of the situation. I don't really think that anyone knows how long it will be until we can get to gigs in person again. Gigs are one of my main social outlets so the web streams and now these Zoom shows have kept me going and I hope they will continue to do so!
If live streams are the gravy. CES Virtual Shows on Zoom are where the meat is. The link to their site is below, check them out!
I was pleased recently to correct a glaring gap in my music
collection.
Before I get onto that, please indulge me whilst I drift off on
something of a tangent.
I’m a fan of Doctor Who and in 2010 during the Matt Smith
era, there was an episode where they travelled back in time and met the famous
Dutch painter, Vincent van Gogh. There is a beautiful scene towards the end of
that episode where they bring van Gogh forward in time in the TARDIS to Paris.
They take van Gogh to the Musée d'Orsay to show just how influential and important his work was and
continues to be, recognition that sadly he did not receive during his troubled
lifetime. It’s one of my favourite Doctor Who scenes, with the wonderful portrayal
of van Gogh by Scottish actor Tony Curran. There is also a brilliant and uncredited
guest appearance from Bill Nighy.
At this point you’re probably thinking, “This is all well and good, but
what the heck does Doctor Who have to do with Eva Cassidy?”
I mention this as it seems to me that there are parallels
with the life and career of Eva Cassidy. Outside of the north eastern states of
the USA, she was largely unknown. She tragically passed away at the age of just
33, relatively unheard of in the music world.
As fine a singer as she undoubtedly was, she seemed ill at
ease performing in front of a big audience. I get the impression that she just
loved to sing but didn’t seek out fame and the pressure that this would have
brought.
I am a big fan of Canadian country artist Whitney Rose, who
summed up a similar attitude with the following message on Twitter this year:
A compilation album called “Songbird” was released in 1998,
but it was two of her songs being played on BBC Radio 2 a couple of years later
which really brought the music of Eva Cassidy to a much wider audience. On the
recommendation of his producer Paul Walters, breakfast show presenter Terry
Wogan played the music of this obscure American singer and the reaction was
incredible. A video of Cassidy singing “Over The Rainbow” became the most
requested video ever shown on Top of The Pops 2. On 18th March,
2001, “Songbird” went to Number 1 in the UK Album Chart.
Eva Cassidy’s music is timeless - it is a great pity that
she was not more celebrated during her lifetime. We are so lucky, however, that we have these recordings
and can celebrate the legacy that she has left behind. I would not hesitate to
tell anyone that she had one of the best singing voices of all time.
