OOTB – Nights Fair Drawing In etc…
Hi everybody, well, it’s winter! Still seems pretty warm though, but let’s see how long that lasts… Okay, well i’ve got one or two upcoming events to tell you about, though i’m sure there are probably quite a few more on the go, so do go out and check stuff out for yourself.
Okay, well on Tuesday the first of November (according to their website, although i suspect they mean 2nd November, which is tonight), it’s Acoustic Edinburgh. They don’t actually email me/OOTB saying what’s on at their nights, so i sometimes forget to mention them on this list. Just so you know it’s the first Tuesday of every month. Anyway, their website says it’s Bob Hillary and the Massive Mellow headlining this month, with Andi Neate, Erin Todd and K-Lab on the bill as well. it’s free, it’s at 7:30pm and it’s at Medina on Lothian Street (near Bristo Square), so why not check it out?
Tomorrow (Weds 3rd Nov) there are two things to mention to you, one is Secret CDs number 36 featuring Blueflint, Bob Hillary (wow, he gets around!), The Ferny Brackens and Cloudland Blue Quartet (whose new CD i mentioned last week or the week before). This sounds like quite an acoustic and harmony filled evening. It’s a 7:30pm start, it’s at the Voodoo Rooms, and it costs £3 to get in, and you get £1 off your first CD purchase of the evening.
Also tomorrow, with a 7pm start, at The Lot in the Grassmarket, it’s Cattle + Cane, with support from Screen Kids, Caro Bridges and Dan Gillan. The pricing for this event seems to be all over the place, but the tickets have got £6 on them, though i gather you get various discounts if you went to last week’s Lot Acoustic Showcase and/or the Medina Hallowe’en night on Sunday.
Then on Thursday 4th Nov, at the Voodoo Rooms again, it’s Dave Arcari (who’s a storming slidey blues guy) and Lee Paterson (who’s very good, and many of you’ll have heard him before), and it’s at the Voodoo Rooms at 8pm, costing £5 to get in. By the way, when you go to these gigs, do mention that you heard about them from the OOTB mailing list. This will increase the chances of the organisers actually telling me when other future gigs are coming up, so i can pass that info on to you in future emails.
On Friday (5th November), it’s the McEwan’s Ale House open mic again from 9pm, though since it’s bonfire night, when we traditionally burn the pope in effigy, a tradition not entirely compliant with modern European anti-discrimination legislation, i suspect, but anyway, what i’m thinking is it might be quieter than usual at the McEwan’s Ale House due to bonfire night (but maybe not, maybe everybody’ll be all keyed up and ready for a good time for all i know). So yeah, McEwan’s Ale House on Friday, then The Listening Room on Sunday 7th Nov, which is free and starts at 8pm for the open mic section, and 9pm for the featured act. This week i haven’t had an email from the Listening Room yet, so i’m not 100% sure who the featured act is, but i strongly suspect it’s a chap called Tom, who has been along for a few weeks and is a very captivating performer. I know that’s vague, i didn’t even catch his surname, and i’m also not 100% sure if it’s him this week. He’s good though. The Blazer’s been really good recently anyway to be honest, so why not go just the same?
I’m just going to mention the Hog The Stage competition again, as a wee reminder. Bands and performers from all round Scotland are entering this competition to play as part of Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay celebrations, and many of them will be known to you from Edinburgh’s music scene and from Out of the Bedroom. You can enter your own band, and you can listen to, and then “like”, other bands who have already entered. Obviously, i’d be really chuffed if you would “like” my song, but obviously you’ll find songs by excellent artistes like Aaron Wright, Joe Viterbo, Augustalia, Banana Sessions and many more on the Hog The Stage website as well. So go and have a listen and click the ones you like.
Oh, i also wanted to mention The Forest Cafe, i heard a rumour that they now have to raise half a million quid in order to buy the venue, or else they’ll have to close down. So, that’s food for thought. I know a lot of people don’t use Forest Cafe, and quite a few people sneer on it a little, which is unfortunate, because it represents a free creative space for a variety of artistic endeavours, which include musical performances. And if that’s lost, then, well, it’s lost. I’ve seen Forest go from strength to strength over the last ten years or so, and it would be a shame if it went the way of the dodo. I don’t know the details, you’ll most likely find the real facts on their FB profile and their website, i’m not sure how they propose to raise the money, but just mentioning it, in case you want to keep your ear to the ground about that. Because whether you’re a fan of Forest or not, it’s part of the bigger picture when things like this are closed down. I mean the arts (except for certain classical endeavours) receives very little funding in this country, so when the country is asked to tighten its belt, one of the first “luxuries” to feel the pinch is the creative arts, and it’s up to those who care about these things to stay awake and informed about them. Anyway, that’s my wee rant over for the week!
So yeah, still no word on where we’re going to be holding the OOTB open mic nights, or when we’ll be starting them again, it seems like every possible venue has some logistical reason why we can’t hold the night there, or else (more commonly) they already have an open mic night in place. We’ll be back though, we’re not giving up on finding a venue, so it’s only a matter of time. Okay, take care, and i’ll see you out there in the world of music!
Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom
PS – it turns out The Forest as well as the Roxy Art House are both under threat of closure, or will definitely close. Not good news, in light of the recent closure of the Big Red Door. Sad times…
http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/100930-roxy-art-house-rip
http://news.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Arts-venues-pushed-to-the.6588160.jp