OOTB 399 featuring Dan Gillan
It’s the enigmatic Dan Gillan playing the featured slot this week, you’ve heard his myspace, now come and hear him in the flesh! And get there early enough and you could sign up for an open mic slot too. It’s actually been pleasantly busy even considering the sunny weather, looks like you can’t keep those diehard music types away! Also, bring a pound coin for your chance to enter the prize draw and win “something” from the Silver Bag O’ Dreams!
Also DON’T FORGET, we’ve got Out of the Bedroom number 400 coming up on the 8th of July, that’s NEXT WEEK, and you’re all welcome to participate in the extravaganza. It’s covers night, and you’re particularly encouraged to cover a song by another OOTBer. Start rehearsing now! Oh yes, there’ll be cakes too, did i mention that? Also, the evening will be reviewed by visual-opinions.com (according to my sources) so if you’d like to read what a total stranger thinks about your music then get yourself along next week, or any of the following three weeks. And, if you’d like to be a reviewer, then please get in touch with visual-opinions.com sooner rather than later, letting them know how often you’d like to review, and any other questions or concerns you may have about it.
Secret CDs is on tomorrow (30th July) at 7:30pm at The Phoenix Cellar Bar which is on Broughton Street, as usual a fine selection of live acts can be heard for only two quid. This month they are: Thank You So Nice, who you’d have heard if you were at the Lindsay And The Storm gig last month at the Voodoo Rooms, The Green Lights, making a return visit to Secret CDs, Sophie Ramsay, who i have to admit is a particular favourite of mine, in that her ethereal performances are quite different to most of Edinburgh’s acoustic acts, and Stephen Harrison, a bass voiced songsmith in the classic tradition, so i hear!
On Friday 2nd July (this Friday), come along to the debut of a new Edinburgh musical showcase, called Magic Letters. It starts at 9pm, it’s in The Forest Cafe on Bristo Place, and it’s FREE to get in. This Friday, featured acts will be Sam Barber and the Outcasts, the ever increasing acoustic punk pop combo, Calum Carlyle and Sam Bradley, playing new versions of tracks from Honesty And Thorns, and Mutant Lodge (featuring Nyk Stoddart) flexing his musical muscles in preparation for a CD launch in the not-so-distant future. For a free Friday night, that’s not bad.
Here’s something a little bit more unusual, it’s a creativity competition. Check it out, there are prizes and money to be won, if you are a creative type, a musician, filmmaker, artist or photographer etc, then take a minute to have a look.
On Sunday, it’s the final of the Livingston Battle of the Bands. Usually i wouldn’t mention this, since it’s my personal opinion that Battles of Bands are counter to the spirit of real music, but perhaps that’s a discussion for another day because in this case one of the bands in the finals are former OOTB darlings Jump Press A! They’re so cuddly, you won’t be able to resist zipping out to Da’ Vinci’s Hotel in Livingston to support them at 6:30pm this Sunday (4th July). Here’s what the band have to say: “Hey Guys, We would really love it if you could come and support us in the FINAL of the DaVinci’s Battle of the Bands.If you can take a car and fill up the extra seats, we will pay your entry fee and if you would like a space in a car share get in touch!” – So, how can you pass an offer like that up? Look them up on Facebook and get in touch.
Other things that are on are: tomorrow (Wednesday 30th June), The Southern Bar open mic night starts at 8:30pm, and it’s at The Southern Bar, 22 South Cleark Street. Then on Friday, as usual, there’s the aptly named McEwan’s Ale House Open Mic from 9pm, at McEwan’s Ale House at 22 Clerk Street, and on Sunday, there’s the ever popular Listening Room at The Blue Blazer at 8pm, on the corner of Spittal and Bread streets, and it’s also free. This week the featured act at The Listening Room is unconfirmed at this time. Watch this space –> .
One other thing i’m going to mention is an email i got this week from Miyagi, here’s the gist: “You may or may not have heard of a wee Facebook campaign going on just now called Storm The Charts. Essentially they have chosen 40 independent artists who would not normally have the opportunity to get in the charts and are attempting to get as many of them as possible into the charts in the same week.” so, the upshot is Miyagi want you to go to Amazon or iTunes and buy their track “Cry Cry Cry”.