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Let The Music Play - Support Your Local Venues and Musicians!

Now I’m not normally one to rant. Actually, scratch that. I’m totally one to rant. It’s just not usually immortalised in print. This week, however, I read something that made me alternate between head-scratching incredulity and outright indignation.

Apparently, someone who likes surveys asked a lot of people to rank professions in order of usefulness during these “unprecedented times”. Unsurprisingly, frontline medics and other key workers topped the list, and rightly so. At the other end (the “not really very useful at all”, or “chocolate teapot” end?) artists, actors and musicians.

This struck me as rather unfair.

“Well, that’s rather unfair”, I said. I may have said some other words as well, but those I definitely do not want immortalised in print!

Having personally worked in two of these professions, I suppose accusations could be levelled that I would say that, wouldn’t I? Fair point, well made.

However, I challenge anyone to tell me that during lockdown they have listened to no music, watched no television, binged on zero boxsets and spent no hours chilling with Netflix - oh wait, that last one means something else, doesn’t it?

“Ode To Billy Joe”, The Twin Peaks Of Songs

February is Storytelling Month, so we are taking a look at the art of storytelling in song this month. “Ode to Billy Joe” was released by Bobbie Gentry in 1967 and is a spine-tingling example of mystery storytelling at it’s very best. Bobbie Gentry matched her story writing with her vocal storytelling abilities. It is her performance of the song that really brings the story to life.

 

     (photograph courtesy of Gary Bridgman)

Lucky Day by Liz

A little story by one of our members, inspired by a discussion at one of our Singing Sessions.

"Paul!" She isn't sure it's him. But it looks like him. "Paul! Sir Paul!" At the station, Wemyss Bay. Of all places. She's only come for the day, to see the glass roof. Well, why not? It is a smashing glass roof. Ha ha. The sky outside is a pale January blue. She can see the seagulls' feet overhead, yellow and flat on the glass, semi-see-through, lit up by the sun. There is a book shop she'll look at later, and the air is cold. It's nice here.

He turns, wearily. OMG! It's him! She gulps the diaphragm-deep breath she practised for Ding Dong Merrily On High a couple of weeks back.

"I'm really sorry Sir Paul, can I ask you a question? It's a music thing, not a", she flaps her hand, "mad fan thing".

He looks pissed off but manages to straighten up a little. She plunges in.

Not so Sound of Silence!

At our Singing Session on Wednesday evening, we were in the middle of singing The Sound of Silence when one of our ladies suddenly let out a yell and retreated to a corner of the room. Somewhat startled, and with the rendition of the song grinding to a halt, we looked down and discovered the cause of her alarm - a large spider had taken up its place within our circle! The spider appeared quite unfazed by us (unlike our member who, unfortunately, is less comfortable around spiders!) and seemed either to want to join in with the singing or to enjoy the performance. Perhaps spiders can sing? Who knows.

We carefully removed the spider from the room and placed it safely, nearby, where it could continue to enjoy listening to us singing and could join still join in, if it wished!

We have a suggestion box where our ladies can add details of songs that they think might be fun for the group to sing. Perhaps we will find a note in it, written in tiny writing, suggesting something from David Bowie's album Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars!