Valentine's Day Open Mic 14th Feb 2007

Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone out there!!

Many of the musicians were present tonight with their wives and girlfriends after going out for a Valentine’s Day meal, and everyone was in a happy mood.

This was an excellent evening with great songs and lots of audience interaction.

Sandy Watson as ever started the ball rolling, and one of his songs was the Woody Guthrie ballad ‘Deportee’.

Andy the Candy Logan was up next with his ever popular rendition of ‘St. James’s Infirmary’. An old friend of Sandy’s was next up, his first time at the Clutha Vaults Open Mic,



Steven McCafferty sang ‘Above the Clouds’.



Duncan Adams was in relatively early for him and he performed an anti-valentine’s song ‘You don’t love me anymore’!



Gavin Watt then gave us a Creedance Clearwater Revival song ‘As long as I can see the light’.



Bob Leslie and Johnny T Miller [on Bass] were next up with Bob’s love song ‘Texas’ - about how love can be found anywhere - even in Caledonia! Then Elspeth Durkin got up and sang a very slow version of ‘After the Goldrush’ with Bob and JT. JT stayed up and was joined by Stuart Workman with Sandy harmonising on the Bob Dylan song ‘Billy’.




Then Joe Kidd and JT gave us Joe’s song ‘Nothin’ wrong.’ [which was probably what a lot of people who had forgotten about Valentine’s day were thinking this evening!]



Arthur then got up to play [with JT on Bass] and gave us ‘Me and Bobby Magee’ to which a lot of people were singing along with.



His friend Stevie then gave us ‘Fourteen Days in the Jailhouse’ [accompanied by Bob Leslie on acoustic and JT on Bass].


The next performer was Davie [ from the Victoria Bar] who gave a great performance of ‘Down on the corner’.

Next up was Robert Walser, who was giving his last performance as he is heading back to Switzerland, He gave us an outstanding arrangement of ‘Strolling down the Highway’ followed by his farewell song ‘Don’t think twice, it’s alright’. He was given a resounding ovation , and we are all sorry to see him leaving us, but hope that he will return sometime in the future.

Sandy then got Annie Fagen up - and she said “How can I follow that?” but did her usual excellent performance of the ballad ‘Ramona’accompanied by Sandy on acoustic guitar.

Jer McDade was next with, as he said “ as it is Valentine’s Day, the only song he has where no-one dies!” which was ‘The Unsinkable Boat’ [Not the Titanic then].

Willie Jukebox Mathews was next on stage and he gave us a T Bone Walker blues song ‘Stormy Monday’, with JT on Bass.
Gavin was back up then, and gave us a Rolling Stones number ‘Dear Doctor’. Duncan ‘s second performance was ‘Where am I gonna live..’ an ironic song for Valentine’s, followed by the ever popular Joe Macatamy with ‘Gallipoli’.

The Edinburgh contingent were next, Jenny and Stuart Workman [ with JT] giving us ‘Pharaoh’s Army’ with harmonisations from the audience. Stuart Nugent and JT then gave us a brilliant rendition of ‘the Subterranean Homesick Blues’.

Although we are losing Robert to Switzerland, we now have Cedric Bertrand from France performing with us. He did an English song this week ‘Portobello Belle’.

Arthur was back up with JT then and gave us ‘ The Green Fields of France’ [ or Willie McBride]. Bob Leslie, JT and Elspeth were the penultimate performers with 'Take Another Little Piece of my Heart' with assistance on the chorus from the audience.

Last up was Willie Mathews with another Bob Marley song which EVERYBODY sang!!
An excellent evening full of fun and good music.

7th February 2007

I arrived late this evening, and Sandy had already started things off. Frank had just got up to sing and he gave us his versions of 'Bad Moon Rising' and the Neil Young song 'Only Love can break your heart'.

Sandy got back up and sang a lovely ballad by Nick Drake called 'Northern Sky'.
Willie Jukebox Mathews was next up and he decided to try a song he had heard Rod Stewart singing on the radio that afternoon -'Just the way you look tonight' [off course it is much older than Rod!!] I have to admit quite a few of the older members of the audience were joining in the chorus with Willie. He gave us a blues number next - 'The thrill has gone' and, as Sandy had not returned, he also sang 'Walking Blues'.

Steve and Elaine were back this evening, and gave a fantastic performance of 'Whole lotta medecine' and then 'One hand in my pocket'. Thoroughly enjoyed by all present.

Gavin was next up, and he decided to do a couple of Neil Young songs 'The laughing Lady' and Have you ever seen the rain?'
Frank got back up then and decided to keep the Neil Young theme going and gave us 'Rocking in the Free World'.
Sandy got back up then and did a Steve Earle song 'South National Blues'

Jer McDade was next up and he gave us two of his own songs - the popular 'One day life got serious' and then 'Gimme Sanctuary'.

Big Bob Leslie was next to the stage and he gave us a couple of his songs, off his CD "Songs from the mine" - 'I love you more than ice cream' and 'Adios to Rock and Roll'.
Next performer was one of our foreign visitors - Cedric from France,

who sang two beautiful songs for us - in French the first of which was called 'Les grande politics' but I did not catch the title of the second - although I think it had something to do with the sun, the sky and hearts. My french is a little rusty to say the least.

Next up was another newcomer to an Open Mic Stage, Big Davie who sang 'The time of my life' -very well for his first time singing in public [It can be terrifying!], I am sure he will improve the more he gets up to perform.

Elspeth Durkin was up next with Bob Leslie to accompany her on guitar. To keep the Neil Young theme going, she sang 'After the Goldrush' and that was followed by 'Autumn Leaves'.

Kevin Young [ok not Neil] was up next with a new composition which he had not actually titled as yet, but thought it might be called 'Arrangements now'. Very good song.
The ever popular 'grandaddy of the Clutha' Joe Macatamy was next up and he gave us the irish ballad 'A powerful song' followed by the aberdeenshire song 'Up the Northern Water'.
Ian Adie then performed 'Aurora Borealis' and he was followed on stage by Chris Rodger who gave us his own song 'Kats'.

Izzy was then accompanied by Willie Mathews and they gave us 'A Dixie Melody'.

Willie stayed up and along with 'the Clutha Chorus' sang the ever popular 'No woman no cry' to round off the evening, before a very quick jam session

whilst the equipment was being stored away.

1st February 2007

A very pleasant evening thanks to all the people who turned up perform.
Sandy Watson started the ball rolling as usual, with an excellent rendition of 'Fire and Rain'followed by 'Jailhouse' and finally getting some harmonising from the audience and Andy Logan on 'Banks of the Ohio'.









Andy 'the candy' Logan was first up, and having been at the Willie Nelson gig at the weekend [which he thoroughly enjoyed] he gave us his rendition of 'Blue eyes cryin' in the rain' He then performed 'Crossroads' an old favourite of his.

Jenny and Stuart Workman were through from Edinburgh again and they gave us the 'Fort Worth Blues' and then Stuart sang 'Anything I can do'.

Next up was Brian who gave us 'Honky Tonk Angels' and 'Fulsome Prison Blues'.
Jer McDade was next up with his own compositions 'Everybody's on the radio' and 'Bob Treetops'.
Elspeth Durkin was next , accompanied by Bob Leslie and she gave us the Neil Young song 'After the Goldrush' and then sang a duet with Bob of his song 'Different World', which Bob often introduces as a modern alternative theme sng for a new version of the film"Brief Encounter".
Davie was next up and he gave us his rendition of 'Hickory Wind' followed by Down on the corner'
. Robert Walser, our own corrie-fisted guitar player, gave us a wonderful instrumental composition of his own, followed by a Donovan song 'Try for the sun'.



The ever popular Joe Kidd was next with his songs 'Don't talk, listen' and 'Good Day' [or as some of us call it - the ebay song!!].
Bob Leslie was up next with his song about the neighbour from Hell [literally] 'The Devil ain't a friend of mine'. He was followed by Waldo, and then a newcomer Chris Rodger. Both of them sang their own compositions. Chris Rodger.

The ever popular combo of Izzy and Andy were up next, giving us 'Alexander's Ragtime Band' followed by Sandy's favourite - 'I want a hug'. Penultimate performance was from Ian Adie singing 'Aurora Borealis' and then a Neil Young song 'Out on the weekend'.
Sandy finished the evening off with the ever popular 'Jerusalem'.
There was just enough time for a little jam session whilst the rest of the equipment was packed up, which gives everyone a chance to singalong together or learn new chord combinations etc.