Hola. Skin, skin, skin, fishy scaly skin. Why do so many TV chefs cook fish, or chicken, serving it with crispy skin to be eaten?  I don’t know or have come across anyone who eats such a thing. Us ‘normal’ folks just like to eat the fleshy bits, right? Another thing that I don’t get is when these chefs show us how we can cook a quick healthy meal, often two or even three courses, in half an hour. What they completely disregard is the necessary preparation time to cut and chop vegetables, and the like, which can take at least another half-hour in itself. In their studio kitchens all the preparation is done for them with all the veg and herbs neatly placed in bowls in readiness for the hot pans. Anyway foodie rant over.

Someone who is always well prepared is this Saturday’s headline act. Nyk Stoddart is well known and well liked out on the Edinburgh live circuit and never fails to entertain his audiences. Nyk’s music takes you on a colourful psychedelic journey where his style veers from prog rock to as far as ‘Fake Jazz’. His lyrics are deep, intelligent and occasionally humorous sung with melody that compliments Nyk’s complex chord changes on guitar. He will be helped along on the night with Calum Carlyle on bass, so get yourselves along to OOTB to witness an experienced performer who you can’t help but like. Here’s a link to Nyk’s music: soundcloud.com/nykstoddart

There will be plenty of performance slots up for grabs too if you fancy a shot under the OOTB spotlight. We start at 8pm, but turn up sometime before 7:30pm to confirm a fifteen-minute booking. No covers remember, just your own self-written creations are worthy of our audiences’ ears. Got a spare £1 coin? Why not donate it to our weekly raffle with a chance of winning a top prize. All proceeds go directly into running costs of OOTB so that we can reliably and regularly showcase Edinburgh’s finest original music.

Be there or be Reporting Scotland’s Eddy Mair (who is no longer there)…

TB 😉

Hello. So many extra-solar objects in our galaxy are being discovered at a rapid rate these days. Apparently Earth-like planets are surprisingly common, about one in eight sun-like stars with orbiting bodies carry such water-filled planets similar to ours. Makes it hard to believe we are entirely alone and therefore quite possibly there is another OOTB in progress outwith our home planet somewhere in the Milky Way. I like to think that OOTB devised on another world might stand for ‘Out Of The Bathroom’ where original toilet-humour songs are being played live right now. I can only live in hope.

With both feet back on this galactic sphere we have booked a long established Earth-bound featured act. Jim Bryce eschews labels. Bryce veers wildly from dissonant boogie-woogie to rock to MOR, from jazz-tinged musings to elegiac pibroch to music-hall singalong. His influence are legion; the results unmistakably Bryce.
His lyrics can be political (tongue-in-cheek), achingly beautiful, witty and occasionally plain daft.
One thing is certain, you won’t know what you’re going to get next.
As an actor, he has appeared on screen, in theatre and on radio. He has been a scriptwriter for children’s radio and theatre, and article-writer for “The Leisure Review”. As a composer, he has written for radio, theatre, and squeaky stuff for the concert-hall. He was the composer of the musical “Whisky Kisses” which toured Scotland to great acclaim in 2010, and has had an orchestral suite premiered by the Open Orchestra in March 2013. Here’s a link to Jim’s official website: http://www.jamesbryce.org.uk

Don’t be wasteful of time this Saturday night in front of the telly watching humans desperately craving instant fame whilst being judged moronically by dull celebrities. Come along to the Kilderkin bar in what’s been a recently eventful Royal Mile for an evening out of guaranteed entertainment, talent and original music. You know it can only be good and healthy for you.

Want to be part of the performances this week? OOTB starts at 8pm, but get here sometime before 7:30pm to book a fifteen minute slot for yourselves and show us what you got (particularly if you’re from another world armed with toilet-humour creations).

Be there or be so au contraire…

OOTB 😀

Hello. Nothing useful or silly to say this week as I’ve been out of touch with everything and my head has nothing inside it. Nothing new you might say. My ongoing knee injury has worsened recently and have been unable to find myself mobile enough to venture outside to do anything worthy of words concerning this blog or musical life in general. Just been one of them months where Mother Nature grips her cruel cold hands on proceedings. Never mind though, OOTB have booked an incredible featured act this week who can loosen and warm the icy hands of any life-form the universe can inflict on any of us.

Roseanne Reid blew us all away when she first appeared on the OOTB stage. Her acoustic country/folk style songs are immediately likeable whether you are into country music or not. Roseanne has an instant appeal to her performances which is hard to ignore when she is on stage. The lyrics are deep and emotional sung with a sweet gentle tone accompanied by acoustic guitar, and the occasional but rather fitting harmonica solo. Roseanne is a rare stand-out performer and you would be considered quite unfortunate to miss out on this Saturday’s headline act. Here’s a link to Roseanne’s music: myspace.com/roseannereid

Want to keep seeing amazing inspirational original musical acts in Edinburgh? Then donate £1 to our weekly raffle on the night which directly funds the running costs of OOTB. This helps to ensure the continuing longevity of OOTB to showcase Edinburgh’s finest performers. There’s also a chance of winning a top prize from our famous Silver Bag Of Dreams if you participate. You know it’s all good and worthwhile.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with hosting shows or twiddling faders and knobs on the sound-desk. If you feel up to the job, either for a bit of experience or fun or both, then get in touch via our contact page or speak to any of us on the night. Well worth a go!

Right oh well then cheers now bye,

Be there or be considerably downright unfair…

TB 😀

Hello. Trying to think out of the box these days to conjure up some kind of invention that everyone would want to buy into is no easy task. So many people out in the streets are walking directly (almost deliberately) in my way as if I don’t exist at all simply because they are transfixed on their android phones which seems to cut off any peripheral vision. I suggest an external pinhole lens that can be fitted at the top of android phones which captures forward sight of what’s coming towards the phone holder. The screen display on the phone would then be split via an ‘app’, maybe the top half or corner displaying what the pinhole lens sees so that such people will be more aware of what’s coming at them. Just an idea.

Onto this Saturday’s featured act. Robert King has played on the OOTB stage to a beholden audience several times. His songs are driven by an alternative rock aspect where his lyrics mainly have a political and philosophical flavour carried along with Robert’s reliable strong vocals. He was guitarist with ‘Woodland Roots’ for a few years and earlier in his musical history was a member of the award-winning ‘Highland Youth Big Band’. This man knows exactly what he’s doing on any stage with such high profile experience behind him. Certainly not a performance to be missed! Here’s a link to some of Robert’s songs: soundcloud.com/roberttobyking

Stage slots are available as usual. Just turn up on the night somewhere before 7:30pm to confirm fifteen minutes of spotlight time and good ol’ OOTB will kick off at 8pm for an evening of blissful live original music.

Be there or be perimetrically of vision unaware…

TB 😀

Hey! Has May Day been through its hay day so they say? Some more say the lay of the bay has washed away because the gay day of Spring’s sun-ray has lost its way in amongst the clouded fray. My friend Kay will not outlay whey on her tray to delay hunger as I cannot pay what she serves in clay. Belay today the grey way that flows down the brae of the River Tay to pray away all Winter’s play. So catch the Hell-train to Beltane to feign the seasonally insane.

Make way and hay for this Saturday’s featured play. Edinburgh singer-songwriter Fiona J. Thom is influenced by the songwriting traditions of the American Songbook, 60s psychedelia, Richard Thompson and rock and roll. Assembled from musicians from the acoustic music scene in Edinburgh and surrounding area Ms Fi & the Lost Head Band played in Princes Street Gardens in Aug 2012 and had so much fun playing together they decided to play some more gigs in 2013. Expect toe-tapping songs with wit, melody and edge. You’d be a crazy fool to miss this one! Here’s a link to Fiona’s music: Reverbnation.com/Fionajthom

Yeah well you know how it is, performance slottage is up for the taking as per usual. Just turn up sometime before 7:30pm to book yourself fifteen minutes of showtime and OOTB will begin at 8pm for an evening of Edinburgh’s top original live music shenanigans.

Please feel free to contact us if you wish to share any musical wisdom or lyrical creativity. I’ll post it on our website in the appropriate sections for all public to see and possible comments forthwith. OOTB is entirely voluntarily run and is always looking for more humanoids to help out, just send us a line or speak to any of us on the night.

Be there or be stuck inside a gigantic chocolate eclair…

TB 😀

Hello for goodness’ sake. Music, what’s it all about? Apparently music is the most powerful art-form. People connect and forge gangs, such as mods and rockers, where the indoctrination of songs style the way of life like a religious belief. Couples join together in a mash of human sweat, liquids and groans to the sounds of brass band music whilst love-making. Most songs we encounter are written about love, lust and sex – ‘Combine Harvester (Brand New Key)’ performed by The Wurzels is a prime example. Maybe music therefore is actually, but inadvertently, slavishly created for our genes so that they can pass on through generations of human life forms in a state of virtual immortality whilst Barry White’s greatest hits take another spin on the turntable. Anyway, someone who can get anyone’s melodic DNA flowing is this Saturday’s featured act that we have proudly booked.

Ross Neilson has gone through many stylistic changes and has these days settled into writing catchy and thought-provoking songs. His acoustic guitar projects a rock/pop sound accompanied by a strong vocal performance where the lyrics invite you on an odyssey of human emotion and endeavour. Ross has played at OOTB several times before and always gives his audience a confident and experienced performance to remember. You would be rather unwise to miss this one. Don’t do it for yourself, do it for your genes! Here’s a link to his music: reverbnation.com/rossneilson

Performance slots to advertise and project your human profile into future generations are available as usual. Turn up sometime before 7:30pm to consolidate a fifteen-minute stage thingy and good ol’ OOTB will fire the starting gun at 8pm. Baffled by being weekly raffled? The waffle is that without such an activity, no-one could have a chance to win a special prize of magical manufacture of human-juice factory toil. All proceeds directly finance the future of showcasing original live music in our cultured capital city. Well worth the effort required of grabbing £1 from your pocket-incorporated clothes!

Be there, or be spending far too much valuable time in musical intensive care,

TB 😀

Hello there and all that sort of thing-ting-a-ling. Add 5+1+7 to make 13. Now some of you superstitious numerologists out there might think of thirteen as having an unlucky influence on proceedings, but be assured that in this case the number thirteen is purely a prime number. Which means this Saturday we have booked a prime featured act.

Tina Louise Avery has played on the OOTB stage several times and always to an appreciative audience. Tina’s music has a uniquely styled folk/country direction coming through where the lyrics take you on an emotional and moral journey of human nature painted by the clear tone of Tina’s vocals. Her accompanying finger-picking style on acoustic guitar is strong and distinctive, and expect a ukulele to make an appearance on the night as well. Tina has coordinated her OOTB performance with a timely EP release titled ‘River Man’. Well worth coming along to the Kilderkin bar this Saturday to witness what will be memorable live performances from her long awaited EP launch. Here’s a link to some of Tina’s music: soundcloud.com/tina-louise-avery

Fifteen minute performance slots are up for grabs if you want to show off your finely crafted creations. Just turn up sometime before 7:30pm to confirm a booking and we’ll blow the starting whistle at 8pm. Join in our weekly raffle to be in with a chance of winning a top prize hidden deep within the depths of our Silver Bag Of Dreams. All proceeds directly finance the running costs and strengthens the future of OOTB hosting live original music in Edinburgh.

Right then, apparently there is a million dollar prize to find the next prime number. The most recently discovered prime number has a mere seventeen-million digits to it, so for any success I’ll need a much bigger computer and brain.

Oh well, be there or be forever trapped in a multi-dimensional mathematical square…

TB 😕

Hello, straight onto this Saturday’s featured act. Chris Yendell is a solo artist who’s music showcases his strong vocals and full sounding acoustic guitar riffs, which take influence from the likes of Kelly Jones and Dave Grohl. Having supported the likes of Two Door Cinema Club in previous bands, Chris is currently pursuing his solo career and playing venues across the UK including Edinburgh, Glasgow and London. His recently released debut EP ” In a Nutshell” Includes six tracks that combine some whopping vocal harmonies laid over an intricate mix of guitar, piano, drums and even some subtle synth parts for good measure. Here’s a link to some of Chris’s music : reverbnation/chrisyendell

Performance slots are up for grabs as usual. Turn up sometime before 7:30pm to confirm a fifteen minute booking and we’ll kick off at 8pm for a night of original music. Take part in our weekly raffle where the lucky winner can snaffle a curious prize of wonderment to amuse and delight from the mysterious silver bag of dreams. The proceeds are directly fed into the mouth of running costs at OOTB to ensure that the future of showcasing original live music in Edinburgh has longevity.

OOTB are always looking for volunteers to help everything along. Played on our stage before? Fancy a shot at hosting or being the sound-person for an evening or more? It’s easy, just speak to any of us on the night or send an email via our contact page. It’s all good fun and there are always friendly humanoids there on the night to lend a hand. Well worth a go!

If you have any articles or advice on writing music, performing, recording etc., then get in  touch and why not have your words of wisdom for all to see on our web-site. We have a ‘Lyrics & Writings‘ section as well if you want folks to read your creations with possible comments posted from other like-minded people. Give it a try!

Right oh well then, good, u-huh, see you there or be an odd pair…

TB 😀

Hello there, sitting here at my laptop poised to type and thinking about nothing really. If entirely nothing existed then what would be there instead?  A perception of endless and dimensionless black or white void perhaps, which of course is an existence in itself.  Just saying ‘nothing exists’ is a blatant paradox. So existence has to happen (or has always been there as it was never born out of nothing, from or into any sort of time-scale) because absolute nothing is entirely impossible. That’s maybe why molecular particles and their constructs, down to the smallest scale possible, exist the way they are because through no choice that’s the most efficient lowest energy and logical state of existing in any form and dimension whatsoever. Ah hell, what do I know? I can only consciously think in three dimensions out of an apparent eleven dimensions. My head is starting to hurt thinking about nothing for too long now.

One person who can sooth anyone’s over-thinking mind is this Saturday’s featured act. Colin Donati is a respected and admired member of the Edinburgh acoustic scene’s oldskool, though live performances these days are few and far between.

He was the first Musician in Residence for StAnza Poetry Festival, St Andrews, in March 2012. As well as musician and songwriter he’s a poet and printmaker. Colin is currently (and belatedly) recording album of his own material with Graeme Mearns (PIG).

Colin will be joined this Saturday by cellist Robin Mason.

Stage time slots in a state of fifteen minute emptiness are waiting to be filled with several dimensions of original musicality. Starting time is 8pm, but turn up sometime before 7:30pm to confirm your performance existence slottage.

OOTB are looking for volunteers to help out with the sound on Saturday nights. If you’ve played at OOTB before and know your way round a mixing desk, then get in touch or speak to us on the night. Any help is always good and assists in keeping original music in Edinburgh enduringly alive. Spaces for hosting are available too if preferred, it’s all worth a go!

Right oh well then, see you there or just quietly vanish into thin air…

OOTB 😀

Hello. The clocks go forward this weekend, although you would hardly believe it as winter is defiantly holding its grasp on our section of the planet. My fingernail broke off more than is normal, just into the sensitive top part of my middle finger whilst playing guitar due to my hands being almost frozen at the time. Not very rock ‘n’ roll, but what is these days?

Our featured act this week has cancelled, so therefore more fifteen minute performance slots are available than usual this Saturday, just turn up sometime before 7:30pm to confirm a booking and OOTB will kick off at 8pm with no football involved. Worried about losing an hour in bed the next day as we reach British summertime? (try thinking about British summertime without feeling depressed). We finish up around 11pm, so after what will be a great evening of music we can all get home and climb into bed an hour early….yeah as if.

OOTB are looking for volunteers to help out with the sound on Saturday nights. If you’ve played on our stage before and fancy a go then get in touch by email or talk to us on the night. Knowing your way round a mixing desk would be an advantage and the set up itself is straight forward with other folks usually there to lend a hand. Maybe trying a bit of hosting for us is more up you street, you are more than welcome to give it a go.

I’m off to put a fresh plaster on my finger, so be there or be bleedin’ digitally sair…

TB 😕