TJs Acoustic Music Club - July 30th

Bob-Dubery

Please note that this is NOT an open mike session.

Venue: The Press Club bar, Marks Park sports club
Time: 20:00
Entrance: R20.00

Drinks and meals available.

Line up includes...

Richard Bruyns - lap steel
Tony Russell - swing and jazz guitar
Paul Hone
Nigel Soden - fingerstyle instrumentals
Deborah Gill - singer/songwriter
Bill Hammond
Bob Dubery

Keira-WitherKay

cool ....... will try make it .... so far i have thurs off.....
nice lineup..... and fabulous to see you on the bill Bob....hopefully see you there......

peace and light
keira

Bob-Dubery

Keira WitherKay wrote: cool ....... will try make it .... so far i have thurs off.....
nice lineup..... and fabulous to see you on the bill Bob....hopefully see you there......

Hi Keira

Yes, it's a strong bill. And it has range as well. Some folky pluckers, but also lap steel from Richard Bruyns, and Tony Russell who plays fantastic, swinging jazz. Very good players on the bill. R20 well spent.

Keira-WitherKay

so Bob for your set of the show is it gonna be smoothtalker or morgan....?

peace and light
keira

Bob-Dubery

Keira WitherKay wrote: so Bob for your set of the show is it gonna be smoothtalker or morgan....?

Anybody wanting to know the answer to that question will have to pay their R20 on the night ?

I will definitely have the Smoothtalker there, even if I'm not going to plug it in, for anybody who is curious about the instrument.

MikeM

I'm dying to hear a smoothtalker ?

Where is this place more or less?

Bob-Dubery

MikeM wrote: I'm dying to hear a smoothtalker ?

Where is this place more or less?

TJs meet at Marks Park Club, which is in Judith Road, Emmarentia (opposite Melville Koppies). They use different rooms within the club complex. Tomorrow they are using the Press Club Bar, which is the small room they usually use for open mike sessions. This is quite a nice, intimate room, though it's layout, with a sort of mock gazebo thingy in the middle, means that you need to get there early to get a good seat.

When you get to the club there is a security boom. Just tell the guy manning the boom that you're looking for TJs and they will direct you.

I'll probably be there from about 7 as the Better 5/8 and I will be eating there.

Keira-WitherKay

yay no gigs popped up tonight ...so a friend and myself are going to the TJ's to support Bob.... and see quite a cool lineup.... so yeah try and let other people from forum make it and say hi......

peace and light
keira

Squonk

Bob Dubery wrote:
I'll probably be there from about 7 as the Better 5/8 and I will be eating there.

Is this in size, influence or value Bob? ?

Bob-Dubery

Squonk wrote:
Bob Dubery wrote:
I'll probably be there from about 7 as the Better 5/8 and I will be eating there.
Is this in size, influence or value Bob? ?

How dare you ask such impertinent questions! You are an unmitigated bounder, sir, and I demand satisfaction.

Bob-Dubery

Keira WitherKay wrote: yay no gigs popped up tonight ...so a friend and myself are going to the TJ's to support Bob.... and see quite a cool lineup.... so yeah try and let other people from forum make it and say hi......

Oh heck! Real musicians in the audience.

DonovanB

Bob Dubery wrote: Oh heck! Real musicians in the audience.

Don't let it bug you like it did me...

Squonk

What satisfaction are you after Bob? ?

Seriously, I should have car licence by end of August and then I will be there too!

Squonk

How was the Gig Bob?

Bob-Dubery

Somebody had to ask....

I have a thing called "hand karma" which tends to strike in the run up to playing at TJs. I once cut a finger open. The worst was slamming my left thumb in a car door. Last night I manged to break a nail on the right hand index finger. But I soldier on. I get to TJs and I'm gloating and happy and confident and maybe even smug because I packed EVERYTHING china. And I double checked, so I know I got the plectrums, five (count 'em) capos, spare strings... the whole shebang.

So my tuners start playing up. The one goes wonky - or seems to. What do I care. I got a spare! Oh.... look, no display and the light is on even when I turn it off. So take all the batteries out and count to 10 slowly and.... still wierd. Where's that spare battery? I'm really prepared to night. Ain't nothing going to stand in my road, no sirree. Oh.... so take the battery out UHgain, and have a beer. See... tuner working again (this was the little clip-on tuner that I have on the headstock).

A quick sound check. Two guitars. I ask Big Mike what he thinks and he says "go for the Smoothtalker".

Then I say to Mike, "when I am on?". This is rhetorical. I am confidently expecting the answer to be "You're opening".

But no....

Mike and Richard (Bruyns AKA "Saucetone" are opening). Then next up is Tony Russell. Tony is a fab jazz guitarists who plays in an old-fashioned style and has lots of great melodic things in his playing and he's fantastic and gifted and has chops falling out of everywhere and he has this really, really, waaaaaay cool Gibson L5.

And then there's me.

Last time Mike played at TJs he drew the short straw and had to go on after Keira. So he KNOWS the pain, why is he doing this to me?

Anyhoo... what I can do now? I'm here. My guitars are in tune, people are arriving, the wheels are turning.

Mike and Richard opened. Just a couple of instrumentals to warm the room. Mike on his baritone Smoothalker and Richard with his National tri-cone.

Note: TWO Smoothtalkers on one bill. How many places could you see THAT last night?

A nice warm up. Tony Russell was next up. Tony played some lovely arrangements of some standards including "Cheek To Cheek" and "Stompin' at The Savoy". For those who are interested in such things he uses flat wound strings - 14 on the first. There's not a lot of guys playing in this Kenny Burrell or Barney Kessel sort of mode in Jo'burg, and Tony is a very fine player.

Third on the bill, Ladies and Gentelmen, is yours truly. And I'm under pressure. Normally I just pitch up at an open mike night and ask to play and plug in and what the heck it IS, after all, open mike night. But last night I had billing. There was my name, on a bill, with words next to it :"Always brings something new and interesting".

Well I think I gave them that. I kicked off with Loudon Wainwright's "He Said, She Said" which is a conversational song, lots of dialog, and the dialog is about.... about.... what a couple does when the lights are out. Starts off with the words "She was trying to get him to talk to her, while they were doing the deed." Did I mention the lights being out? Not even. The second worse starts "She was all over him in the A.M. He said 'please try to understand. Once a night and I'm alright, baby, but I ain't much of a morning man.'"

Following on from that was another Loudon Wainwright song, "Thanksgiving". I truly love this song. It has pathos and typical Wainwright humor and even a little optimism. And it deals with all the tensions that arise when you sit down for a family dinner with people that you only see at family dinners.

After that I played Sandy Denny's "Who Knows Where The Time Goes" and finished off with Merle Travis's "Dark as A Dungeon". I don't know how good any of this was. I had all vocals and no guitar in the monitors. Not too bad because I didn't need to listen to another guitarist, but still hard to hear my playing. I was nervous, thought it showed, but I had some very kind comments later on and so I'll take it as having gone down OK. After the early shock of a salacious opening song.

After me was Deborah Gill who doesn't play out much but should. I had promised Deborah that I would suck fairly majorly so that she would look good. She played 3 of her own songs. Very nice songs with good lyrics. I thought she sang well too.

Then (racks early morning brain) was Paul Hohns who is a professional songwriter, a good player and has a sweet voice. He mixed covers (Bright Blue's "Weeping") with his own numbers. A laid back and very professional and confident set.

Nigel Foden is a fingerstylist I haven't heard before. Tony Cox holds him in high regard. He performed some intricate finger-style, his own compositions, on a Martin - I think a D-18.

Finally Richard Bruyns was back. This time paired up with Dax Butler. Dax and Richard play together in a band "Them Particles". They often play in this sort of stripped down, unplugged setting. As headliners they got a longer set, mostly Dax's compositions. Richard got most of the solo limelight, but towards the end of their set they did an old blues number which Richard sang and Dax gave us a glimpse of what a fine player he is.

So I thought that Mike had put together a strong bill, and a varied bill, with guys and styles we don't often get a chance to see in a small club. Mike kept the whole thing running smoothly and also gave me a new nick name: "X-rated Bob".

Squonk

Sounds like it turned out well.
especially after Don's thread about the "bad night get over it"!
Was this your fist 'on the bill" performance?

TomCat

"X-Rated Bob".........LOL..... ? ?

Keira-WitherKay

hello all, i was there to catch bob's set but left after deborah's set.... and Bob..... you did good your choice of repetoire and the Xrated lyrics...hehehehh had the audience giggling ..... so well done Bob, you were great last night...... and above all entertaining .....

unfortunately we had some other commitments to get to so missed the rest of the show....

but yeah tailon was there who i know..... and i got to briefly say hello to stratisphere (ooops sorry if i spelt that wrong) on the way out.... hope to see you as a regular at TJ's and perform i hope.........

yeah as always i would support TJ's and would encourage anyone wanting to get some live practise to go to the open mic nights they have.....i think having music clubs like this offering opportunities to musicians...is fabulous ...and TJ's has a balance of open mic for everyone and then an 'invited evening" like last night to showcase people..............

support local acoustic music......... the talent out there might just surprise you ....

and yeah lets not forget Big Mike ...... he organised last nights line up and plays beautiful soulful fingerpicking style ...... well done Mike awesome show.... and need i say wonderful playing ..........

peace and light
keira

Keira-WitherKay

oooh yes it seems smoothtalkers are most definitely invading the local acoustic scene.......... heheheh as Bob or should that be "X rated Bob" said 2 on the bill last night and i know greg georgiades plays 2 i think and tony cox uses one and steve newman has one too.... mmmm so i guess they making an impact..... be interesting to look back in 20 yrs time and see if they become a 'famous brand" like gibson or fender ..... and then remember back to 2009 when they started to be noticed on the local scene.............

now if only mervyn would make a a nylon string one which offered enough place to be wildly percussive on i would be joining that club ....

but he's constantly working on new designs so always hope .....

unfortunately his current nylon design does not suit flamenco and my highly percussive world music style at all and is way too heavy .... and bulky.... my current guitar is just under or around 2 kg and the top of the line spanish built flamenco's are even lighter .....

but i have faith that will be remedied in the future.....

so mervyn if you reading this ........... here's Keira wishlist for a smoothtalker........... a lightweight nylon smoothtalker than has enough percussuive chambers to offer the tonal variation in body percussion a standard flamenco design offers ( if you strike a flamenco guitar in different places you get widely varied tone....but the solid horn of a smoothtalker prevent this tonal variation.... hehehh believe me i have tried em..... ) yeah and let the weight come it at under 2 kg ..........oooh yes and a shorter scale neck 630 mm not 660 0r 650

But in all reality if i was playing "steel string fingerpicking style" i would also definitely want a smoothtalker for their lush steel string sound ... so steel string players try em out ...... ..

but yeah i think we witnessing the start of an acoustic guitar design revolution

peace and light
Keira

[deleted]

Keira WitherKay wrote: But in all reality if i was playing "steel string fingerpicking style" i would also definitely want a smoothtalker for their lush steel string sound ... so steel string players try em out ...... ..

but yeah i think we witnessing the start of an acoustic guitar design revolution

Ditto

Lush, delectable, divine note seperation and something uniquely South African.

And that comes from someone who swore they would never deviate from the "DNA" of a guitar... (Sound hole in the middle, and made of solid woods)... KLA... No compromise. I will eat my words soon enough ?