Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to sign into my blog, just before Father Christmas arrives*, to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas!

I hope you and your families have a warm, wonderful Christmas, full of magical moments! (Not forgetting our four-legged friends, of course:

My Collie Jake is loving all the extra food around the house! ;) He was a rescue dog I took in four years ago, and he's brought so much fun and love into the house, it's more like he's rescued us -lol! So, if you do have the room and the time to spend with them, I'd heartily recommend that you visit your local animal shelter and take in an abandoned dog (or a cat or rabbit etc.).

Sorry for not posting any blogs for a while, but I've been very busy since the very successful Brett Huckfield & Friends night in Moseley. But, I'll get back on the blog over the festive period and add a few photos and updates about my musical endeavours over the last few months.

At this special time of the year, I'd just like to say thank you to all my dear friends around the world, old and new, who support my music, buy my songs, come to my performances and generally just keep up with what I'm doing.

In the words of Dickens' Tiny Tim character: "God bless us, every one!"

* Did you know Father Christmas/Santa Claus is in part derived from Odin, 'who was associated with the Germanic pagan midwinter event of Yule [...] Over time, traits of this character and the British folklore character Father Christmas merged to form the modern Santa Claus known today.' (Wikipedia. 2013).

Now there's a nice bit of trivia to enliven the conversation at Christmas Dinner -lol!

I'll leave you with my anti-corporate Christmas song: Christmas Carols and Auld Lang Syne xx


Thursday, October 31, 2013

An Evening with Brett Huckfield and friends – at The Old Moseley Arms (Sunday, November 3rd)

An Evening with Brett Huckfield and Friends – at The Old Moseley Arms (Sunday, November 3rd)

Due to the popularity of my performances at the Chaos Acoustic Club, the organisers, Pete and Tony,  have kindly asked me to host an entire Sunday night at the Old Moseley Arms. Before unleashing a knockout set to finish off the night, I'll be inviting some fabulous guest performers to take to the stage.

The line up is:
  • Brett Huckfield – accompanied by Marie (and for the encores: Graham, from my electric band)
  • Pete Kelly - fabulous singer songwriter who's just back from performing in the USA
  • Hat N’ Fiddle (Jimmy ‘The Hat’ & Alice Hutchings on bodhrán and fiddle) Two of Moseley's finest folk musicians
  • Desi Corcoran – veteran performer who has been entertained audiences from Kilkenny to the Black Country 

ADMISSION IS FREE. The evening runs from 8.30 pm until 11.10pm (approx.), on Sunday 3rd November, at The Old Moseley Arms, 53 Tindal St Birmingham, West Midlands, B12 9QU. (FREE PARKING is available on the street outside the venue).

Here's a scan of one of the posters for the event:


  I believe someone will be writing a review of the gig, and hopefully there'll be some video footage and photos to post after the event too ... Hope to see some of you on them -lol!

 PS Both Pete Kelly and Hat 'N' Fiddle have great new album's out. So do support these artists if you can, and buy their CDs. (My own City Blue album is on iTunes, or you can contact me via my website re a limited edition CD, for as long as I still have some left! ;).

PPS Just bumped into another songwriting friend of mine, John Langford, who's just released some new albums too. So do check him out on Ditto Music.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

A quick update – plus birthday cake!

It's been a very busy autumn ... which is great in some ways, but I keep running out of time to do little things like update this blog ... or sleep much -lol!

But, lots is happening in the background. There are new recordings on the horizon (probably a whole new album), and a whole bunch of exciting live gigs planned for the coming months. More details soon ...

Finally, since it deserves posting ... Here's the Scooby-Doo birthday cake Marie my percussionist made for my birthday :-) Thank you so much to everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, emails and suchlike!!!

Friday, September 13, 2013

Closing the night at the great Mouth Music club in Kidderminster

Last Tuesday, I was invited to do a special-guest spot and close the night at Mouth & Music, at the Boar's Head Gallery in Kidderminster: a great monthly club where poets, musicians and writers come to display their talents in front of a live audience – co-run by talented musician and poet Heather Wastie.

I was feeling somewhat below par before the gig, thanks to an asthma attack keeping me up all the previous night. I seldom suffer with asthma (those of you who do, have my sympathies!), but it certainly got me that day!

As bad luck would have it, my percussionist's car had suddenly developed a problem too. So instead of being able to stay home and spend some quality time with my inhaler and get some sleep, I rushed out to pick her up, which of course stated my asthma off again.

Admittedly, I was disappointed that certain folks who knew the situation that day – and who supposedly support our musical endeavours – wouldn't help out and give Marie a lift to my house. But C'est la vie as they say! Fortunately, when I got to Marie's, she kindly volunteered to drive, leaving me free to concentrate on my beloved asthma inhaler! ;)

By the time we got to Mouth & Music, I felt a little better – concealing my coughing and spluttering beneath the moments of applause for the other performers! The standard, incidentally, was excellent: we were entertained by poets – who made up the majority – musicians and even a short story writer.

 
The adopted theme of the night was 'water': a theme which was imaginatively, and sometimes comically explored by the assembled wordsmiths and musicians. I'm glad the theme was well received as it was one I'd suggested!

It would have been a great night had I just sat in the audience and watched (indeed, I recommend Mouth & Music to musicians and poets around the Kidderminster area; non performers are very welcome too, though there is a small admission charge for those not wanting to brave the stage ;). But, of course, I was also there to play!

Considering how I felt, it would have been more sensible to perform sitting down. So, naturally, I stood up! Tactically this probably wasn't sensible, as I felt lightheaded and (hopefully unnoticed?) nearly collided with a tall lamp that was behind and slightly to the left of me -lol!
 

Marie did a fine job of backing me up on harmonies and percussion. I amused the audience with tales of how when I first started teaching her to play, she'd only have a tambourine and shaker, but now she's learned so many instruments we need help to get them all on-stage :)

As for my song choices: I stayed mostly with the 'water' theme by playing 'Watching The Waters' and 'Light Of Promise' (which has various nautical metaphors). I strayed somewhat with my hefty blues composition:  'Give Me Some Soul' – or 'Gimme Some Soul', as Marie writes it on set lists (since I haven't released the song yet, I've not had to settle on the title!). Though, to everyone's amusement, Marie pointed out that 'Sole' is a fish ... Clutching at straws, methinks!
 

The audience were truly appreciative, and though I wasn't feeling my usual energetic self, I still managed a spirited performance – despite being ill. A big thank-you to everyone who attended the event: for all the amazing comments about my songs, for the compliments about our performance, and for entertaining us brilliantly all evening in the run up to my guest-spot.

On the way home we stopped off for a Mc D. Milkshake. not sure it was the wisest choice after having asthma, but it certainly hit the spot! :)


Here are links to Mouth and Music's page on Facebook and to the poster of the event I played at:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=502445383176325&set=a.300139633406902.74663.217089308378602&type=1&theatre

https://www.facebook.com/mouthandmusic

Monday, September 9, 2013

Brett Huckfield @ Codfest

I had a wonderful time performing my songs at Codfest on Saturday.

Marie did a superb job of accompanying me on percussion and harmonies. We played a full set on the Main Stage but were then invited to do 2 further performances on the Back Porch Stage. Playing 3 times at the same festival on the same day is a record, even for me -lol!


I can't believe how many great comments and new fans we made at the festival: wow! I literally couldn't walk more than a few paces without someone stopping me or shouting compliments regarding our performance. I was also pleased to discover that Tim, the sound engineer, had already heard some of my songs on the radio!

 

 Fortunately, we still had time to catch up with some old and new friends, and to enjoy watching the other performers. Unbelievably, the rain that threatened to spoil the event – as you can see from the crowd photo – stayed away.


 A big thank-you to Sam Draisey and his father for asking me to play at the event! Thanks also to Mike, Marie's brother, for the photos and for helping us to carry our equipment between stages and to Pat Quirke, who was managing the Back Porch Stage. He very kindly gave me a new harmonica after joining him – together with Marie and 2 other musicians – later on in the day for a jam.





Thursday, September 5, 2013

End of summer festival gig near Wolverhampton: Codfest

Sadly, the best of summer 2013 is now behind us. But on the plus side, I have one last summer gig to play:

At 2.30pm, on Saturday the 7th September, I will be performing on the main stage at Codfest – a festival near Codsall Wood, just outside of Wolverhampton. The tickets are completely sold out, but the organisers are apparently looking to reallocate any spare ones that crop up. Here's the event's facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/CodfestOfficial?ref=ts&fref=ts

Hopefully the good weather will last until the festival is over, as I don't want to be playing the gig in my wellies! :-)

Here's the full Codfest line up:

Main Stage
David Young
Sam Draisey
Dominic Malin
Brett Huckfield
Under a Banner
Luke Wylde and the Japes
Dirty Little Lies
Grand Theft Audio
Hey, that’s my bike!
Shatter Effect
Flatline Stereo
The Replicas

Back Porch Stage
Patz Catz (and a kitten)
Natch
Ellie Chambers
Che Cartwright
Open Mic with Pat Quirke
Open Mic with Pat Quirke
Jordan and That Guy
Alex Vann
Open Jam Session with Patz Catz
David Young
Jade and JD

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Closing the night at the Chaos Acoustic Club/ 1956 Les Paul for sale: £20


Great to bump into local folk legends Billy and Lozz at the excellent Chaos Acoustic Club yesterday. They did a superb set, as always!


After my run of solo performances, it was also great fun to welcome Marie back on-stage to accompany me. She did a first-class job helping me finish off the night at the Chaos Club. Always such an appreciative crowd at the venue. My faith in the future of live music is always restored after a visit to Pete and Tony's aforementioned club.



Sadly we didn't see anyone demonstrating how the sponge-throw door on the back wall of the stage works though -lol! (PS I'll be hosting a whole night of live music down at the Chaos Club in November. I'll be inviting a few special guests to perform before finishing the night off with a set of my own music.

I'll announce the details a bit closer to the time. In the meantime for anyone wishing to support the club:

It runs every Sunday night at the Old Moseley Arms, 53 Tindal St  Birmingham, West Midlands, B12 9QU, (UK). Admission is free.



PS At the end of the night, whilst I was chatting with the sound engineer, he informed that his friend is now the proud owner of a vintage ('1956,' I think he said) Gibson Les Paul. Apparently it had lain in a loft for a decade and a half (where it was before that, I don't know), the current owner wasn't a guitarist, and was only too pleased to part with the instrument for the humble fee of £20. Yes, £20! It's the stuff of legend: an event seemingly too good to be true.

Indeed, during my days working in a guitar shop, such stories were 10-a-penny, and almost always turned out to be either 100% urban myths or vastly exaggerated stories (i.e. the supposedly vintage guitar someone had bought for a few pounds would turn out to be copy etc.). But, in this case, astonishingly, the tale appears to be true. So I guess miracles do happen after all  ... But certainly not very often, so don't get your hopes up. Still it wouldn't hurt to always have a carefully folded £20 note about your person at all times, just in case -lol!

If such an event has happened to anyone else, do please email and let me know!


Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Tragic Death of Some Like It Hot Bass Player

This post is to say a sad goodbye to my talented bass-playing friend Ian, who passed away unexpectedly. He was one of the finest bass players I ever worked with.
 
Throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s, we were in a kick-ass, 5-piece band together, called Some Like It Hot. No gig was too big or small: from humble pubs to universities and massive sci-fi conventions – weirder venues included a prison, a masonic lodge (boy, did we play the huge security guard up there!) and a millionaire's back garden – you never knew what type of gig would crop up next!
 
And through it all, as I'm sure all the other ex-members (singer Gary, guitarist Tony and drummer Graham) would agree, Ian was the backbone of the band. His pounding finger-style bass rhythms cemented everything together, helping to create the rock-solid musical platform that drove the songs along, and from which I could unleash the wild guitar solos that became the hallmark of the band's live shows.
 
Ian was never one to seek the front of the stage and the limelight. He put all his energies into his playing. Also, no matter how complex the musical arrangements I'd dream up for the band – arrangements that sometimes raised beads of terror-sweat upon on the foreheads of the fine but (until I'd corrupted them ;) more conservative band members – Ian would dive right in with genuine enthusiasm where lesser mortals might fear to tread! Truly a musician's musician.

 Here's a couple of photos of Ian, playing with the band (including me on lead guitar). I think this particular gig was at Birmingham University circa 1993 – though I'm not 100% certain that I have the correct year or venue. We played so many gigs together in Some Like It Hot that it's hard to remember all the exact details -lol!

My condolences to Ian's family. Unfortunately, I hadn't seen much of Ian (or the rest of the band, with the exception of Graham, the drummer) in recent times. But from our time together in some Like It Hot, I'd just like to say that Ian was great company, possessed a fine musical talent and had a wonderfully dry sense of humour – all of which I shall fondly remember him for!
 
Anyway here's a close-up of the great man in action, followed by a full band shot with Ian at the back-left of the shot and a very young me, on the right!  
 
 
 
 

PS As a possible future project: if I happen upon any of the excellent old live or studio recordings of the band (some of which might possibly be in my archive), then, time allowing, I'll see about re-mastering them digitally to release as a tribute to Ian.
 
Rock in peace, old friend!
 
 
 

Friday, July 12, 2013

Women Chainmakers' Festival 2013 (part 2)

Saturday (8th June, 2013) at the festival:

I arrived at the festival's Leftfield stage just in time to catch Nick and Bryn from FolkLaw entertaining the audience with a lively set of their original songs. I was already familiar with some of their tracks, as the last time I bumped into Nick he graciously gave me a copy of FolkLaw's album.(Time allowing I hope to review many of CDs that have been given recently).

Unexpectedly, my good friend Jan was there too. She'd travelled back from Oxfordshire that morning but still managed to make it to the festival to watch me play, bless her! Jan's always been a great supporter of my music, but I hadn't had a chance to see her for a while, so it was great to catch up for a long overdue chat. She took this photo of me (centre) with my new friends from FolkLaw:



Since I'd let another act swap their time slot with me, to help them out, I was due to play the Leftfield stage immediately after FolkLaw. so, having played a sit down set on the Friday night – so I could play a stompbox and other percussion with my feet – I opted for a stand up set on Saturday and proceeded to – as Lozz, the musical coordinator for the festival later put it – 'give it some!'

Given that I was just getting over a throat problem, I asked for a s**t load of onstage vocal monitoring. The sound crew were a great – if a little amused at my request – and did a first class job, not just on my set but throughout the whole event.

I kicked off with 'Watching The Waters' and 'Here Again' from my City Blue album, then carried on with some new, untested songs such as 'The Light of Promise', which really came across well. I don't consider a new song finished until I've aired tested it in front of a live audience. It's kind of an ordeal by fire, but it keeps my writing skills sharp -lol!



Prolific local singer-songwriter, and top bloke, John Langford suddenly appeared in the front row of the audience at that point and started videoing me: it's always nice to be appreciated by fellow writers!

By the end of my set, during 'Give Me Some Soul', 'You' and 'The Oi Song', I'd abandoned my intended arrangements and inspired by the great audience, I'd adopted a more improvisational approach. The attention wild vocal flourish during the final song of my set – that was great fun from my perspective – as I got to see the entire appreciative audience raise their eyebrows in unison :) – was actually a spur of the moment decision, and surprised the hell out of me -lol! So ended my final set of the 2013 Women Chainmakers' Festival. The audience were great and the sound guys were spot-on too.



I was knocked out by the positive comments from audience members and fellow performers. The compliment that perhaps amused me the most (in a good way -lol!) was from one of the sound engineers who, after strongly praising my humble attempts to put on a memorable performance for the audience, inquired with total sincerity: 'Are you sure you're suffering with a vocal problem?'

Actually, my poorly throat was feeling tired by the end of the set. But since even the excellent sound crew were half wondering if I was pulling their leg about being treated for a throat problem, I'll take it that I did a pretty good job of the vocals! :-)

After playing, Jan and I wandered off to get a bite to eat and an essential detour around the festival site to buy double cone/double flake ice-creams – is there any better way to enjoy live music than with ice-cream dripping down your hand and onto your T-shirt? We made it back for the last hours of the festival (which finished around 5pm on Saturday) to catch the other acts, though sadly I missed musician and songwriter Tom Martin's set.

When it was all over and the stage marquee was almost deserted, I sat around chatting for a while with Jan and some other old friends of mine – and some new ones too :-) Here's Jan's final photos of the day:

To my right are my good friends Mick and Jean to my left are 2 excellent singer songwriters: Steve Morris and Carol Widenbar.



And here's the same line-up, but with Jan sitting in to my left, while Mick is now behind the Jan's camera taking the shot. I couldn't finish the blog without including a picture of Jan, especially since she insisted on buying me that huge ice cream -lol!



So, thanks to the talented Lozz – who put an incredible amount of effort into the 2 day event – for inviting me to play at the festival. Thanks to all the other Women Chainmakers' Festival organisers and supporters for creating an annual celebration to mark and further promote a very significant piece of social history.

Also thanks to all the performers, many of whom entertained me with their sets (I only wish I'd have had time to see them all): East West Infusion, The Laners, Folk Law, Easy Street, The Tom Martin Band, Carol Widenbar, Steve Morris and of course Billy & Lozz too.

Last, but by no means least, as without them there would be no festival: thanks to the thousands of people who attended the event on Friday night and Saturday daytime!

PS After the event I got this heart-warming message from the festival's music coordinator, Lozz, that I'd like to share:

'... you were exactly what was required for the festival. You give everything and then a little bit more on top – really Mr 110%.'

I really appreciated that.  A perfect end to a brilliant festival. Hopefully it'll continue to grow into an evermore respected and popular event. Do pop along and support the event next year if you're in the vicinity (just check the festival's website next spring for all the details
HERE). The event is free but the entertainment and historical value are priceless.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Women Chainmakers' Festival 2013 (part 1)

Friday night at the festival (7th June)

Although, due to other commitments, I missed the opening act of the night, Sandwell Rock School – a group of local school children who by all accounts did a great spot –  did arrive in time to catch most of the other performers.

Having found myself the only empty parking space on the car park (presumably because of the huge wild triffid like plant that was busy taking over half of the parking bay), I followed the sounds of amplified live music across the playing fields to the huge Leftfield marquee.

Just inside I bumped into local folk legends Billy and Lozz. For an excellent introduction to their distinctive style of Black Country inspired, self penned songs check out Ade Edmondson's About Britain programme (Season 2  Episode 18 where he visits the West Midlands). Or check out one of their youtube videos:

 
Lozz is the music coordinator for the Women Chainmakers' Festival and I was very honoured to be invited to perform two sets at the event. Generations of my family have toiled in the industries of the Black Country (so named for the way the environment was once polluted by heavy industry: legend has it that Queen Victoria kept the blinds drawn when her train passed through, and that Tolkien based Mordor on the area). So, the chainmakers' 1910 struggle – to attain fairer rates of pay for their hard labours – is a piece of history that certainly resonates with me.

I also bumped into the talented Carol Widenbar. Like me, she's been away from performing for a while. After enjoying her collection of very entertaining original songs and well chosen covers, we had a great catch up chat. A few years back, Carol and I both did opening spots at The Robin 2 – one of the Midland's better known music venues. However try as we might, neither of us could remember who we'd supported -lol! (Though I do a vaguely remember the headline act was a guitarist and songwriter from Newcastle who did a very enjoyable set, but quite who he was I can't recall).

Another act playing at the Women Chainmakers' Festival that night were Easy Street, who added a lovely jazzy blues flavour to the night's entertainment. There was also a solo male performer whose name I didn't catch, unfortunately, but I did enjoy his song about greedy bankers! :-)

I finished off the night with a sit down set of my own songs, that started somewhere around 10.25pm. I'd originally planned to do the gig with my percussionist, but she was unexpected kidnapped by aliens on the way to the venue, and since my other drummer/percussionist was also busy that weekend, I was down to just a trio: me, my guitar and some foot triggered percussion.

I'd gotten hold of a stompbox the day before, (a wooden block with a pick-up that you can plug into the PA system to create something not dissimilar to a bass drum sound) so playing solo offered me the perfect opportunity to give my new toy an airing at the festival. I'd also discovered I could trigger a tambourine with my other foot ... and I had a little shaker that I could hold in my hand that didn't get in the way of my plectrum and fingers. So I had the rhythm section well and truly covered! As the final touch, just for my song 'Faraway', I'd picked up some wind chimes that I'd managed to attach to the guitar and trigger when necessary. It was a crazy, OTT set up no doubt, but hey, it was a festival! I wanted to give the audience something a bit unexpected.

Fortuitously, especially given the very small amount of time I'd had to rehearse with all the percussion while simultaneously singing and playing guitar, it all worked together seamlessly. Although, the smooth surface of the stage presented a slight problem as my foot-triggered tambourine tended to slide away from me over time and so required a well timed jerk back with my foot every so often! Hmm, think I'd better bring a mat to put my percussion on if opt to use a similar set again -lol!

Another lesson learned: I should perhaps have thought to ask for a second microphone (in addition to my vocal mic) to be pointed down towards the tambourine and wind chime to make them a little more prominent in the mix, as my vocal mic didn't pic them up quite as well as I'd hoped. But other than that I was really pleased with the interplay of percussion and guitar.

I had a great time at the Festival listening to the other artists, and then finishing off the night with a set of my own songs to a wonderfully appreciative audience. To top it off, even the wrong turn I took on the way back home worked out well when I happened upon a chip shop that was still open :-)

As I was on my own that night, I don't have any photos to post (though I do have some from Saturday's performance that I'll include part 2 of this update).

This was the first year that a Friday night music event was added to the Women Chainmakers' Festival – hopefully it will become a permanent addition to the festival in future years!

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Solo set at the 2013 Women Chainmakers' Festival

Finally, as the coldest spring for 50 years finally surrenders its icy grip on June and we're halfway through 2013, I'm ready restart my musical endeavours. Consequently, I'm re-launching my blog (I'll get started on updating my website later this month).

Anyway, I'll be airing my new solo set at the Women Chainmakers' Festival on June the 7th and 8th. Entry is free, there's a full PA and lighting in the marquee (and a bar – courtesy of Netherton's renowned pub: Ma Pardoe's).


The full address is Bearmore Mound Playing Fields, Cradley Heath, B64 6DU.

Friday 7th June: live music from 7pm-11pm (I'm finishing the night off from 10.25pm till 11pm).

Saturday 8th June: more live music, plus stalls and an archery display – all in celebration of the chainmakers' early 20th century struggle to attain fairer pay.

Having done my kind deed for the day by swapping my later Saturday spot with a couple of musicians who were struggling to make their allotted time, I'm now playing at 1.30pm in the afternoon ...

Plenty of other fine acts from the West Midlands (and further afield) will be playing over the weekend: local folk celebrities Billy and Lozz, East West Infusion, and FolkLaw to name but 3 of many worthy acts ...

There's more info about the 2013 Woman Chainmakers' Festival and its historical context, in these links:

http://midlandstucmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/announcing-friday-night-at-chainmakers.html

http://www.wolvestuc.org.uk/index.php/wbdtuc/32-women-chainmakers-festival

http://midlandstucmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/women-chainmakers-festival-to-return-to.html