This week at Out of the Bedroom number 394 it’s the enigmatic Stephen McLaren, who is, i believe, one half of Collar Up. He uses the piano to impressive effect and this Thursday he’ll be playing a featured set for us at OOTB. Come along, Out of the Bedroom’s been really good this year and I’m sure this week’ll be no exception. Also, you can hear the cream of Edinburgh’s performing songwriters (no dodgy covers at OOTB!) plying their trade, so why would you want to be elsewhere on a Thursday evening? PLUS you get a highly reasonable chance of winning a quirky and interesting prize from the Silver Bag o’ Dreams (TM)

Now, none of you wore the sunglasses last week to OOTB, so I’m not going to even try and instigate a theme for this week! I’m not even sure any of you are reading the emails! Just in case you are though, let me tell you a few other things about OOTB. First of all, it’s OOTB 400 coming up soon, on 8th July 2010 no less. We’re going to celebrate by having our first “covers night” of 2010. You’re encouraged to come along and sing your own songs, or covers of other OOTB performers’ songs, or imaginative covers of popular hits and classics. There will probably be other fun stuff on the night, but we’ve not finalised the details yet.

The other thing I wanted to tell you is that we’re hoping to have the occasional video up on the Out of the Bedroom website. It’s just on an as-and-when basis at the moment, ie: if a video comes our way, we might put it on the website if the artiste has given us their permission. But what this means in real terms is that you’ll get to see some OOTB performances from the comfort of your own computer. Watch this space…

Okay, now we’re onto the “also this week” section. Tonight (Tuesday 25th May) there’s a new open mic night at The Cruz Bar, 14 The Shore, Leith. It starts at 8pm, Perhaps I’ll see you there. Tomorrow (26th May) It’s Edward and the Itch (aka Sam Siggs, our feature act for OOTB 390) performing live at the GRV. 7pm start, I’m not sure of the admission cost. On Friday you can of course go to the excellent open mic night at McEwan’s Ale House on South Clerk Street, which starts at 9pm and on Sunday it’s The Listening Room at The Blue Blazer on Spittal Street (on the corner of Bread Street, just off Lothian Road). It starts at 8pm, and it’s great fun. You always get a good selection of interesting performances and from 9-10pm there’s an invited artiste playing a featured slot. That’s it from me, see you on Thursday at The Tron…
Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB Presents…

Hi folks, thanks for reading, i know most people don’t read these every week (and i suspect many don’t read it any week!) but you’re reading this now, so that’s a great start. Here’s some information about independent original music in Edinburgh for you:

This Tuesday at OOTB (23rd August) at The Montague Bar, we have a lot of open slots, and Caro Bridges And The River are playing the featured act slot. It’s an 8pm start, 7:30pm to sign up for an open slot. I am hoping to pop in myself at some point, but i will be playing a gig at The Southern Bar on Tuesday it’s free, here are the details, if you fancy coming along to that too actually.

I just wanted to quickly say thanks to everyone who’s come to either our Tuesday nights or Saturday nights so far in the Festival, they’ve all been good, thanks from me to everyone who was there for my set on Saturday night, i do have one or two other gigs lined up in case you missed that though.

Then on Saturday (27 August) we’ve got three featured acts! Liza Day, John Watton, and Holly Shep. They’re all fantastic, you’re going to get them all for free, this is at The Montague Bar, 8pm start, 7:30pm to sign up for an open slot.

While I’m here, I may as well tell you that the incredibly talented Ben Young is coming to Edinburgh specifically to play Out of the Bedroom next Tuesday (30 August), at The Montague Bar, and you need to check him out. He’s not played in Edinburgh for two years, though he used to be an OOTB regular, and he’s really good. How can you pass that up for free?

As you may know there is a huge amount of stuff happening in Edinburgh at the moment, so i won’t attempt to list it all, though Johnny Pugh has asked me to let you all know he is hosting The Listening Room on Sunday (28 August) at The Blue Blazer, and as it’s his final night in Edinburgh, it promises to be a celebratory going away party of sorts. Two hours of open slots, why not go along? It’s free, in case i didn’t mention that, and starts at 8pm.

Next thing i need to mention is Edinburgh Unplugged. We have had an incredibly successful run in The Royal Oak, as many of you will be aware, but we are now moving to a new venue, Medina (beneath Negociants on Lothian Street), and we’re very excited about it. So we’re changing the name of the night to the funky, hip, and dynamic EDINBURGH UNLIMITED, and having a big launch night on Wednesday 14th September. That’s downstairs in Medina, it’s an 8pm start and it’s only £2 for four acts! So who are these acts? Well for the 14th September, it’s Matt Norris And The Moon (professional sounding modern folksters), Donna Maciocia (a one woman juggernaut of sound), Gipsy Rufina (travelling Italian singer-songwriter), and Tim Holehouse (bearded blues/country impressario).

Then we follow it up with another honking hootenanny on 28 September, also at Medina.This time the acts are: Fitzroy Soul (tackling an acoustic set for the first time ever!), Nyk Stoddart (dark textured folk songs, with possibly some zany humour for good measure!), Stu Goodall Band (excellent local acoustic performers), and Darcy DeSilva (an upcoming Glasgow folk artist, with an excellent band). All this for only £2, and it’s in Medina on Wednesday 28 September.

Sorry for going overboard on the promo of this but we really want to make the night a big success in the new venue so we can continue to bring you the best in emerging music at a low cost, so please come along and support Edinburgh Unlimited when we relaunch at Medina. We’re still using the existing facebook page for now (at www.facebook.com/EdinburghUnplugged) but this will change soon, so keep your peepers on that page for more updates as they happen.

Now, i was contacted recently by a chap who runs a fortnightly podcast of independent new music. If you like music, you need to check it out. And if you don’t, why are you even reading this? :¬) Go and check it out, here’s the link:

http://labelledindependent.podbean.com (or on iTunes)

It’s a new music podcast featuring releases from independent labels and artists in the UK – giving them a platform to get heard, so have a listen, and if you are an independent artiste yourself, then why not get in touch with them and see if you can get your music featured on the podcast?

That’s pretty much it for now, from me anyway, so get out there and get some music into yourself, and i’ll be back with more musicky goodness in your inbox about this time next week.

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

It’s Out of the Bedroom 402 this week, only 98 OOTBs to go till the next “hundred” celebration. this week it’s Furious who’s our featured artist, so come along to The Tron this Thursday and hear Furious exemplifying his music for half an hour, and also soak up the eclectic vibe of the other OOTB performers.

Before i go any further, let me tell you that Visual Opinions reviewed OOTB 401, yay! You can read the review here, you can see a huge array of photos of the night here, and if you just can’t get enough reviewage, they also reviewed our special event The Secret Bedroom a couple of months ago too. I think they’re reviewing the next couple of OOTBs too. If you want to be an OOTB reviewer, then get in touch with Visual Opinions through their website, or talk to the reviewer at OOTB this Thursday.

Now, other interesting events… On Saturday 24th July, at The Lot, you can hear (for £5) Matt Norris and The Moon, Audigy, Andrew Norquay and Dan Gillan. In the words of their facebook event: “It will be a brilliant night of acoustic music, please come and support our very talented local artists.” and that’s an early gig, 7pm start, 10pm finish.

On Friday 23rd, you can see Cam and the HP at The Radical Road at 229 Willowbrae Road at 9pm, not sure if it costs to get in, but it’ll be extra special because they were due to play a gig elsewhere last week and it was cancelled, so i am sure they’ll be on extra top form this week.

I know it’s on Thursday too, but anyway, Graeme Mearns Band, DLS, Shields Up, and DATS are all playing at the teamFUDGE Leaving Party (which is also the Muckle Sandwich issue 4 launch party, i think) on Thursday 22 July. It’s at 7:30pm at Henry’s Cellar Bar. Should be a riot actually, but officially we still think you should be at OOTB instead.

There’s festivals on every week too, it being summer, this coming weekend it’s the Wickerman Festival down in Kirkcudbrightshire. Quite a few Edinburgh acts are playing there, mainly the ones i know are on the acoustic village stage. I’ll be playing there at 12:40pm on Saturday with Sam Bradley on bass, and Andi Neate is on on Friday, anyway, if you’re going to the Wickerman fest, check the acoustic village stage out, it’ll be good, i guarantee it.

There are lots of other events on this week, obviously, there’s The Listening Room at The Blue Blazer on Spittal Street/Bread Street, it’s on Sunday, get there before 8pm if you want to play in the open mic section of the evening. I played the feature slot there on Sunday just gone, and it was an awesome experience, i can’t recommend this open mic night enough, to be honest, it’s great. Tonight (Tuesday) the Cruz Bar on Leith’s Waterside are having a free open mic night too, their nights sound like they’re picking up, so maybe check that out too. There are a lot of other music events on too, facebook’ll tell you, now it’s summer there’s events spilling onto the pavement on every street corner! Anyway, see you on Thursday!

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

Hello again everybody, i’ve got quite a few events to tell you about this week, but first of all, let me just quickly say sorry to anybody that turned up at The Lot on Wednesday looking for the Tigertown Presents gig, there was a gig on at The Lot that night, but the gig i thought was at The Lot was actually at Electric Circus. Anyway, it’s the first time i’ve made a mistake like that on this list i think, and i’ll make an effort not to do it again in any hurry!

Okay, now onto this week’s events, in chronological order i think… Tonight (Tuesday 9 Nov) at The Regent Bar at the top of Abbeymount and Easter Road, it’s the Regent Showcase, featuring a selection of Edinburgh’s solo and duo performers, and possibly one or two comedians. It’s free, it starts at 8:30pm and there may be open slots available i believe.

This Friday (12th Nov), at Henry’s Cellar Bar, it’s the launch of the new CD by Earl Grey and the Loose Leaves (an Edinburgh blues band i believe), with support from Missing Cat and Fitzroy Soul, and some others i think. Members from these bands have been to OOTB in the past, in case you’re wondering where the connection is. And they’re good too, that’s the other reason i’m mentioning it. Not sure if it costs to get in, i imagine it’ll be a few quid, but i don’t know. It’s 8pm till 3am. Also, i need to tell you that the excellent McEwan’s Ale House open mic is on as usual this Friday from 9pm in the McEwan’s Ale House opposite the old Odeon on Clerk Street.

Also this Friday (12th Nov), it’s a Bainbridge Presents gig called Amplified, at the GRV. It’s a 14+ gig. The bands are People Places Maps and Underclass, with support from Espionage of the Loc and SmallPRINT. Again, they’re good bands, with band members who’ve been along to OOTB and the Listening Room over the years. It’s an early one, 7pm till 10pm. Not sure what the admission cost is, it’ll be a few quid i expect.

This Saturday (13th Nov) it’s Aaron Wright and the Aprils and 6 Day Riot performing live at Electric Circus on Market Street. It’s a 7pm start and it’s £3 to get in. Should be good. I’ve heard Aaron Wright solo but not with a band yet.

Then on Sunday (14th Nov) it’s Tom Watton who’s the featured act at The Listening Room in The Blue Blazer (on Spittal and Bread Streets). You’ll like him, his stuff’s very varied and he’s a really enthusiastic performer. He’s on at 9pm, after the usual open mic furiousness at 8pm, which you should definitely consider being there for as well.

Also on Sunday 14th November, it’s the Fresh Promotional Video Shoot at Maggie’s Chamber at 139 The Cowgate. Basically, they’re making a promotional video to promote their events, and they have a lot of bands playing as part of it, including (but not limited to) Back Alley Romeo, Casino Queen, Two Steps To Envy, People Places Maps, The Harlots, Kill Code Red and November Orchid. It’s 6pm and it’s £2 entry, just thought you all might like to know about it.

I wanted to mention some things in advance of next week too, there’s a gig on Wednesday 17th November at The Royal Oak on Infirmary Street (just off South Bridge/Nicolson Street) called Magic Letters. It’s an 8pm start, it’s only £2 to get in, and it stars Caro Bridges and the River, so it’s your chance to hear the amazing singer-songwriter Caro Bridges with her new band in an intimate acoustic setting. Support slots are from Mutant Lodge (Nyk Stoddart’s offbeat alter ego) and Calum Carlyle (in a rare solo appearance), so do get there in a timely manner. I’m hoping to make the Royal Oak into a more regular venue for our sort of acoustic nights in the future, i’ve got plans. Watch this space…

The other thing i wanted to mention about next week is Hannah O’Reilly/Augustalia‘s EP launch gig at The Voodoo Rooms next Thursday (18th Nov) at 7:30pm for 8pm, and it’s £4 to get in. The support is from The Dull Fudds and Lee Paterson so it’ll obviously be a quality evening.

While i’m on the subject of Hannah O’Reilly and Calum Carlyle (i’ll never get used to speaking about myself in the third person!), both artists have been giving away free exclusive mp3 downloads recently on their mailing lists, so do yourself a favour and join Hannah’s mailing list here, and join the Calum Carlyle list here.

I’ve got more stuff lined up to tell you about next week, there’s quite a selection of good gigs on the horizon actually, it’s quite heartening. If you’re in a band or are playing a gig, and you want me to mention it on the list, do get in touch by replying to this email. Our community is becoming a little diffuse at the moment, with OOTB not running the open mic night at the moment, but it’s great to see so many OOTB people at these other gigs, keeping in touch with each other and enjoying each other’s music. Anyway, don’t stay in watching X Factor, come out to some of these gigs and have a great time, see you out there, or see you next week in the OOTB email!

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

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

Right, first of all, apologies for the tardiness of this week’s email, i do this in my spare time, and i’ve had a lot less of that recently. Still no news on the horizon for OOTB’s fabled new home, however there’s tons of stuff on this week, most of it all on the same nights, so here goes:

Sophie Bancroft is launching her CD tomorrow night (Thursday 28th Oct) at The Lot, in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, it’s £10 to get in, and doors open at 7:30pm, over 14s only.

On Friday, remember to go to the McEwan’s Ale House Open Mic on South Clerk street, opposite the old Odeon at 9pm, all the cool cats will be there. 🙂

Then on Saturday 30th, at The Captain’s Bar on South College street, it’s the long awaited “A tip of the Hat to Leonard Cohen” night, featuring covers of Leonard Cohen songs by the following artistes: Norman Lamont, Fraser Drummond, Jim and Paula Igoe, Karen and Jess Austin, Jerry Anderson, Andy Hill, Simon Kempston, Kat McKenzie, Calum Carlyle, Nelson Wright and Rosie Nimmo. it’s FREE to get in, though a collection for charity (The Parents’ Circle) will be taken.

On Sunday, which is Hallowe’en, there are a ton of things on. For example, at Cabaret Voltaire at 7pm, it’s Six Storeys High, Ashes From The Wake and Three Long Words. £6 in advance and £7 on the door.

Same night, it’s Top Hat, Alistair W. McErlain & Theo Bard at Nobles’ Bar on Constitution Street in Leith, i think it’s free, but don’t quote me. And it’s a 9pm start.

Same night again, it’s The Listening Room at The Blue Blazer on Spittal Street, featuring Mark Wynn. 8pm for the open mic section, 9pm for Mark Wynn.

Same night, yet again, and this is the one i’ll be going to (though i am sure the rest are all going to be excellent nights too), it’s Dry The River, Lorraine Macauley and Matt Norris and the Moon, at Medina, which is on Lothian Street at 7pm. The FB event doesn’t tell you how much it is on the door, but my ticket cost £6 when i bought it off of Matt Norris.

And there’s one next week i have to mention too, on 3 November, it’s Cattle & Cane, Screen Kids, Caro Bridges and Dan Gillan, and that’s at The Lot in the Grassmarket. 7pm start again, this time it’s an 18+ gig and it’s £6/5.

Got to rush, sorry for the lack of personality in this email. I’m actually rushing out to yet another gig at The Lot tonight, it’s Hailie Beavis, The Last of Barrett’s Privateers, Kat McKenzie and Quickbeam. I would have given you the details properly but i left this week’s email too late and by the time you read this it’ll all be over long since. Okay, se you all next week! Take care, and remember to put your clocks back this weekend so you don’t miss all the gigs on Sunday night!

 Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

Has it been a week already? I was struck down by a cold this weekend so i missed some of this week unfortunately, though i did make it along to the Blue Blazer on Sunday, which was great. Now, one or two things to mention, mostly upcoming gigs. First of all though, Cloudland Blue Quartet has asked me to tell you about his new CD, “Splinterheart”, you can hear it online and purchase it here. He’ll be playing at the November Secret CDs to promote the CD as well, just to let you know in advance.

I think i’ll take the opportunity to mention my newest CD too, actually, you can hear it, and purchase it here. It’s not available as a physical CD yet, but you can download it, and i’ll be launching the CD at a Lot Acoustic Showcase on 24th November, with my new duo (the other member of which is currently a closely guarded secret!). And of course many other OOTB related artistes have got CDs for sale, and well worth it they are too, i try to buy as many as i can. It pretty much goes without saying, but ask the artistes when you see them live, or check out the details on their myspace. CDs are usually only a few quid, and you get a lasting record of the band, which is definitely worthwhile, since bands are always splitting up or moving away, it seems.

Aaaand a big welcome to the two dozen or so new subscribers to the Out of the Bedroom mailing list. If you are receiving this for the first time, it’s because you (at some point in the distant past, probably) put your email address on an OOTB raffle ticket. I send out a weekly email with details of what OOTB is doing (which isn’t a huge deal at the moment, it must be admitted), and also i usually include details of other gigs that are on, CDs being released, and special events featuring performers who are in some way affiliated with OOTB. If you don’t want to be on this list, just reply to this email and i’ll remove your email address from the list. Think twice before you do though, because not only do i include a shortlist of very good gigs, many of which are free, but you also find out about the occasional exclusive release, or special event here that you may not have heard about elsewhere.

On that subject, here are a whole lot of gigs you might want to go to before all the bands split up, change their lineup and repertoire, or become huge and successful and move away to the big smoke. Firstly tonight (Tuesday), it’s the Regent Showcase at The Regent Bar at the top of Abbeymount and Easter Road. It starts at 8:30 and it’s a showcase of some very good acoustic acts and one or two comedians. It’s free, and it’s a good atmosphere.

I had a feeling that Sam Barber and the Outcasts were playing a gig this week, i know they’ve got two next week (which i’ll mention in next week’s email) but i can’t seem to find any details for them for this week. Anyway, i’m sure there are ways you can find out, if you really need to know. 🙂

This Friday (15th Oct) there’s tons of stuff on. There’s the McEwan’s Ale House open mic at 9/9:30pm of course, which is free, and there’s also Miyagi, House of La & Die Schneiders for £3 (and that’s only a quid per band) at the Voodoo Rooms, at 8:30pm (and Miyagi are on first).

Also this Friday, it’s a Bainbridge Presents night, featuring Underclass, Cancel The Astronauts & Jump Press A in the intimate environs of Sneaky Petes on the Cowgate, and it’s a 7pm start, so don’t arrive fashionably late! I don’t know if this one costs to get in, because the Sneaky Pete’s website doesn’t have tickets for sale for this gig.

[[ STOP PRESS – The gig at Sneaky Pete’s will be going ahead on Friday, but without Underclass, due to illness. ]]

Then on Sunday (17th Oct) at the Listening Room at The Blue Blazer, it’s the usual open mic from 8-9pm, and then the featured act this week will be Caro Bridges, who is awesome, as you’ll know if you’ve heard her elsewhere. Don’t quote me, but i wouldn’t be too surprised if she had Matt Norris accompanying her on the mandolin as well. And it’s free, too!

Thought i’d just mention this one as well, on Monday 18th, it’s Gavin Bain’s band, Hopeless Heroic live at Bannerman’s. I think it’s an 8pm start, more details in the FB link.

Well, we’ve reached the end of another OOTB email, there’s been tears, there’s been laughter… Well, actually there probably hasn’t been. I was thinking of having some sort of bonus for people that actually read this far, like a giveaway or lucky prize draw or something, but i haven’t quite come up with any good ideas yet, i’ll let you know anyway. Okay, go and get some good local music into you and i’ll see you back here next week.

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

Okay, it looks like we might have a new home for the OOTB open mic night, but it’s not in the bag yet, and we can’t start till the new year if so. Never mind, it’s promising news, and looking at the next week and a half or so, there really is a wealth of music going on in Edinburgh to keep us all occupied anyway. Take the opportunity to go to these events if you can, you’re only young once! 🙂

Tomorrow (Wednesday 17th Nov) at The Royal Oak on Infirmary Street at 8pm it’s an event called Magic Letters, which features the official debut performance by Caro Bridges and the River, it’s also the debut of a new five piece celtic band called Fine Fabric Combo, with exclusive solo support slots from Mutant Lodge and Calum Carlyle. All this for just £2!

On Thursday 18th Nov, it’s the EP launch of Hannah O’Reilly’s band Augustalia. This is at The Voodoo Rooms on West Register Street at 7:30pm, with support slots from The Dull Fudds and Lee Paterson. I’m not sure how much it costs to get in (£3? £4?) but i’m certain it’ll be well worth it.

Also on Thursday 18th November, it’s theRyan Van Winkle book launch and after party. The book reading is at 6:30pm at Blackwells on the South Bridge opposite the old college, and the after party, which is free, is at Forest Cafe at 8pm, and will feature Jed Milroy, Hailey Beavis, Billy Liar and Black Diamond Express.

On Friday 19th Nov, it’s the Word of Mouth open mic night, at 7:30pm at Word of Mouth, at the Leith Walk end of Albert Street. You usually get a cake or something for performing, and of course musicians are welcome, but they’re quite friendly to poets as well.

Also on Friday 19th Nov it’s Haight Ashbury Love Music, run by Miyagi Edinburgh. It’s £3 to get in and it starts at 8pm in the Voodoo Rooms. This time the bands are Junk Orchestra, klezmer band Hussy And The Wolf, Sea Bass Kid, Miyagi and DJ Lexington III. Do let them know you heard about them on OOTB if you go to this, because it’s nice to join up Edinburgh’s various musican social circles i think.

Also on Friday, one of my favourite open mic nights is on again at the McEwan’s Ale House on Clerk Street, opposite the old Odeon. It starts at about 9pm, and it’s always good fun.

On Sunday 21st Nov it’s The Listening Room open mic at the Blue Blazer, from 8pm, and then from 9pm it’s JJ Butterfield, who’s this week’s featured artist.

Next week there are some good events on the horizon too. For some of you Monday is Binkie’s night, but The Captain’s Bar on South College Street is now running an open mic night on Mondays, from 7:30pm, hosted by Roy and Richie Henderson. There’s no PA, just one vocal mic, but there is a piano. Given the lateness of the Binkies open mic, you could even do both, if you were that way inclined.

Next Tuesday 23rd November one of my favourite ambient acoustic bands, Eagleowl, are supporting Daniel Fred & Julie (ft. Julie Doiron) at Sneaky Pete’s on the Cowgate at 7:30pm, and it’s £7 to get in.

Then next Wednesday 24th November it’s The Lot Acoustic Showcase, starting at 7pm at The Lot in the Grassmarket, it costs £5 or £4 if you’re a student or if you buy your ticket from Tigertown Music in advance. The performers this time are the amazing Lipsync For a Lullaby, Hannah Werdmuller, Arran Arctic, and the public debut of Calum Carlyle and the Mixed Reactions.

Also, the International Songwriting Competition is still accepting entries, it would be cynical of me to suggest that they are just looking for some more money in entry fees, but anyway, they say: “The ISC deadline has been extended to December 3, so there is still time to enter. Go to www.songwritingcompetition.com for more info and an entry form. You can enter online, through the mail, or with your songs on MySpace.”

I’ve got some crackers of gigs to tell you about for next week and the week after as well, Matt Midgley’s coming back to Edinburgh for a one-off gig, and Lorraine M