Dear Sir/Madam. I am writing to you hoping all is well and good to attend what will be a great Saturday night of original live music coming our way.

Featured act this week is John Crawford. Usually when these write-ups are in progress the world wide web is often utilised to retrieve whatever information necessary to complete the task. Concerning the name ‘John Crawford’ and adding alongside it ‘Edinburgh music’ in the search-box I get as a result one long dead Scottish landscape painter, an accordionist, a violin professor, someone who works at Morrisons Supermarket and a person who has his vicious looking pet dog as a profile picture on Facebook. So it’s just as well I’ve seen John play several times out on the live circuit. His songs are carefully crafted works which have a folk/country influence clearly coming through. The lyrics are sensitive and take you on a rolling journey of human emotion sung with the subtle warmth of John’s confident smooth vocals. I’ve enjoyed all his performances and I’m sure you will too. Well worth seeing.

Slots for stage time are open for the taking as usual. OOTB starts at 8pm, but it’s wise to get there before 7:30pm to confirm one of those slots. Our weekly raffle will summon the famous silver bag of dreams to present the chosen one with a present of delight and wonder, to wonder over.

Played at OOTB before? Fancy a shot at hosting? Or maybe you prefer to be behind the sound-desk tweaking faders and knobs. OOTB are always looking for like-minded folks to help out. Come and speak to us any Saturday or send an email and we’ll be happy to make it happen.

“Welcome home, welcome. Come on in and close the door. You’ve been gone too long”. The warm comforting words of Peters & Lee’s hit to inspire creators such as yourselves to send lyrics, poetry and the like to this humble website for public view and maybe discussion too around a roaring digital fireplace. Just email us your works for further levels and new exploratory experiences of indulgent cosiness.

See you there, not even the chair…

Yours faithfully, TB 😀

hello or hallo, hullo

1  an expression of greeting used on meeting a person or at the start of a telephone call

2  a call used to attract attention

3  an expression of surprise

noun

4  the act of saying or calling “hello”

Well that’s enough of the pleasantries so let’s move swiftly onto the more interesting points of musical noteworthiness…

Featured act this Saturday is Nicole Strachan. Originating from North Carolina, Nicole has an alternative country influence to her song-writing style with a quirky flavour of folk/punk coming through as well. Her lyrics are poetic and deep, sung with rich three-dimensional tone which is all second nature as she is also a qualified and passionate talented artist. Rumour has it that some friends will be turning up to play trombone and cello to accompany Nicole’s unique songs. Having played at OOTB several times and has even hosted for us occasionally, you are assured to be sure it will be a sure performance from one so sure and bright. Not to be missed! Here’s a link to some of her music: Reverbnation.com/nicolestrachan

Slots to perform on stage will be available for booking on the night itself. We kick off at 8pm, but turn up before 7:30pm to confirm as they are usually all taken by then. Also we will be holding our regular raffle where for just £1 you have the opportunity to will by the force of fortune a magical prize from our silver bag of dreams.

If like Nicole, you’ve performed a number of times at OOTB and fancy having a shot at hosting then please let us know as we are always looking for like-minded folks to help out. You can even be our sound person for an evening or more if you prefer. Come and speak to us any Saturday or just send us an email.

Our ‘Lyrics & Writings‘ archive is hungry for more content. With inspiration such as Brotherhood Of Man’s lyric “Uh-oh Figaro he’s a Romeo – oh – wo, Uh-oh Figaro he’s got magico – oh – wo”, or from Neil Diamond’s hit  – “I am I said to no-one there, And no-one heard at all not even the chair”, is surely enough motivation for you to send us lyrics, poetry or any writings to our email address for public view and possible discussion on the comments tab. I’ll start proceedings and be brave (or foolish) enough to post lyrics from my own song ‘Blind’. Just click on the title of summarised postings to get full view.

See you all at OOTB this Saturday…

TB 😀

It would be too damned easy to blurb critically and endlessly on about bleedin’ Valentine’s Day. Retail assistants up and down the country have been purchasing red and pink card from their local stationers to cut into various sized heart shapes for display purposes. More symmetrical shapes are achieved by folding the card in half first, then cutting out a half heart outline half-heartedly. Blu-tacked or sellotaped inside establishment windows, the central crease is always visible making the hearts fold further inward as the adhesive melts under hot shop lights. Therefore, as a result, they look more like pink alien butterflies who are visiting Earth to nibble on some heart-shaped chocolate once a year. Stranger things have possibly happened, I think. Anyway onto musical matters…

Featured act this Saturday is Dog On A Swing. The man himself is a prolific songwriter and performer. His cleverly crafted songs have an indie pop/rock feel to them with intelligent well thought out lyrics sung by Dog On A Swing’s distinctive strong vocals. He’s well known for preferring to play on his ‘five string acoustic guitar’ as the top E-strings on regular guitars simply get in the way of his up tempo strumming. It’s a double-date this weekend as Dog On A Swing is featured act at The Listening Room on Sunday night too! No excuses, you have to witness at least one, if not both, of these performances on what should be ‘National Dog On A Swing Weekend’ every year. Here’s a link to his Soundcloud page.

Get out of the shop and put down your scissors, sellotape and glitterpens. Come along, book some stage time and sing us those retail blues. It all starts at 8pm, but get here before 7:30pm to confirm a slot.

See you there…

Fraser Drummond, a regular performer and recognised talent of the music scene in and beyond Edinburgh sadly passed away recently. He was also a member of the band ‘Confushian’ and will undoubtedly be missed by everyone who knew him.

TB.

Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening and welcome to another week of hairy Sasquatchuan live music shenanigans in the heart of Edinburgh’s deep maple forest where strange men aimlessly roam about dressed in dark furry suits that behold a rather obvious silver zip running up their backs. Before I go on and put my bigfoot in it all I should mention this Saturday’s featured act.

End Of Neil is a well seasoned performer playing gigs in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and beyond. His style evokes a mixture of indie folk and rock, which comes across confidently with his strong finger-picking and strumming style on acoustic guitar alongside the occasional harmonica solo. His unique lyrics and polished vocals take you on a journey where you might discover something as diverse as chimpanzees escaping from a zoo. Intrigued and want to hear more? Then bring yourself and your friends along to the Kilderkin for a drink or two and one fine performance. End Of Neil has kept himself busy with recordings too, so here’s a link to his Soundcloud page to get a better idea of what I’m talking about.

“What about me, what about me?”, I hear you all cry faintly from the speakers of my laptop somehow. “Well..em..eh..uh..”, I answer obliquely, “Okay then, slots are available as usual if you want to give us a song or three”, as I stare back in blank bewilderment at the source of the many soft ghostly voices. “Remember to turn up before 7:30pm to confirm a slot”, I hear myself additionally mentioning whilst reaching for the phone to book another appointment with bearded men adorned in white clinical coats who tell me it’s all okay.

See you there or be drowned in Sasquatch hair…

TB 😉

Hello there. Another week and another OOTB. At last our old timeless enemy ‘Time’ is dragging us out of the misery that is the long cold dark month of January into the cold, shorter and slightly less dark miserable month that calls itself ‘February’. Never mind, there’s a Scottish spring and summer not so far away now to sort of look forward to. Despair not, as the murky dull seasonal tones that grace Edinburgh’s winter grey will be tinted by the bright and vibrant colours of this Saturday’s featured act.

Young French musician Elbi Bauer has been singing since she was a child and soon realised that music was, and still is, her number one natural enduring passion and it certainly shows when you hear her songs. There’s a distinct jazz influence mixed with an electro beat sound that’s helped along by live looped samples as Elbi sings easily with a luscious fresh tone accompanied by her confident guitar playing. She’s taking valuable time out of her studies to entertain us this Saturday, so make sure you get along to the Kilderkin for a show of musical bliss and song-crafting talent. Here’s a link to her Soundcloud page to get a taste of what will be an unmissable live performance this week.

Reckon you are unmissable as well? Slots are open for show business as usual if you reckon you are one to be reckoned with alongside an unreckonable stage presence. Just turn up before 7:30pm as most, if not all, slots are booked by then.

See you there. TB 🙂

Hello to all you citizens in anticipation of the oncoming performers’ sweat, blood, egg and gravy outpourings extravaganza this Saturday. Agape arena doors hungrily await fresh musical meat to slaver over in a ‘Bio-tex’ nightmare forged of advert Hell. Fight with honour on stage against lions, tigers and washing machines whilst keeping at least one finger on your G-string. Many are strong and survive to come back to relive another epic tale in the OOTB amphitheatre. Up for the challenge?

Battle ready featured act this week is Kat McKenzie. New Zealand born Kat has been writing songs on keyboards from an early age and has always possessed a strong natural singing voice. Her pitch and tone are effortless as she delivers anything from a powerful ballad to a well written pop song. Kat is talented enough to have performed musical theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe and is included on the soundtrack to season two of BBC Three’s ‘Lip Service’. She has played venues around Edinburgh and at OOTB several times, so we are delighted Kat has accepted our invitation to play this Saturday as headline act. Not one to miss!

Also check out her website: KatMcKenzie.com

It all starts at 8pm and it’s usually best to turn up clothed in freshly washed coliseum armour before 7:30pm to book a slot.

Be there, or be bare…

TB 😉

Hi all. Last Saturday turned out to be a great night filled to the brim with top performances of live original music. OOTB 504 should be no different this week along with our featured act.
Simon Herron has played at OOTB several times and always to a hushed audience as he possesses a natural way of drawing people willingly into his sublime musical world.
Simon has been playing as a solo act for just over a year now and is currently putting the finishing touches to his debut EP, Masquerade. His sound could be described lo-fi indie-folk.
Early demos gave Simon a healthy following on Soundcloud and he was even awarded the accolade of “Soundclouder of the Day” earlier this year. BBC 6 music’s Tom Robinson described Simon as a “mysterious songwriter” whose “music speaks for itself”.

Check out his website for more: simonherron.bandcamp.com

It’s sign up time as usual if you feel like performing this Saturday. Get down before 7:30pm if you want a slot.

See you there 😀

Happy Ne….Happ…Ha…H… Nope sorry just can’t get myself to say it. We all know too well it will no doubt be another year of nonsense, drivel and bad weather. To counteract all that, OOTB’s doors are open for a happy new year (damn I said it!) showcasing talent new and established in Scotland’s capital city.

This Saturday’s featured act is no exception. Mike MacFarlane is fast becoming a seasoned performer and hosts acoustic sessions at Edinburgh’s famous Jazz Bar. His musical style migrates between folk and jazz, playing with confident finger-picking on acoustic guitar accompanied by bitter-sweet lyrics which are sung with an assured vocal delivery. Well worth getting yourselves along this week to see him doing what he knows so well.

Open slots are available as usual if you fancy a shot in the star-ridden limelight. If you are contemplating your first gig, then be brave and show us how it should be done. It’s not as intimidating as you think as we welcome with open arms any new acts who are willing to give performing in the big bad world a damned good try. Also check out our Open Mics page which has just been updated for this month if you want to expand your gigging horizons across Edinburgh.

See you there!

TB 😀

OOTB is spending quality time in Toiletland over the holidays and will be Out Of The Bathroom for normal service after New Year on Saturday 12th January 2013. See you then, then.

Have a seasonal trouble-free journey of posterior ablutions… 😀

It’s that time of year we all love to hate and systematically waste our hard earned cash on presents nobody really needs. A dilute Christian festival now primarily based on the monetary value of gifts we all receive and give to each other. Santa is grateful although to Coca Cola for changing his suit colour to red rather than the awful dark purple that everyone seemed to hate. Poor bewildered Jesus these days is scratching his bloody thorned head wondering where he, his sacrifice and religion fits into this unrepentant calculated world of mass human commercial consumption. Father forgive them, for they know not what they do. Anyway, despite all that we are not party-poopers as OOTB is having a special Christmas celebration and we’re expecting some Christmas songs to leak from the pores of songsters this Saturday night.

Also for this festive week’s featured act we have booked an amazing Scots-born musician who is known as Matt Midgley. Oxfordshire based Matt employs a unique percussive guitar style that involves a rather high calibre technical method of detuning, tapping and finger-picking which defines his alternative indie folk sound. All this is showcased in his 2010 debut album ‘Cyan’ and has now released part one of his second album ‘For Everybody and No One’. Well worth checking out if you want to witness something that’s a bit different and original. Find out more on his website: Matt Midgley.co.uk

Regular slots are available as usual if you want to don your Santa hat and play us a few songs, influenced perchance by the drunken pleasure of warm medicinal-tasting mulled wine and burnt Christmas pudding interrupted with a good long turkey burp.

Please note that OOTB will be taking a break over the holidays and will be back after new year on 12th January 2013. Have a good time everyone and see you real soon!

TB 😀