Unfortunately there is no OOTB this Wednesday due to the Argyle Bar hosting another event on the night. We will return next week as normal on 2nd March.

See you then…OOTB  🙁

BIG news from Out of the Bedroom… we’re moving to Woodland Creatures on Leith Walk! We’re moving night from Tuesday to Thursday, moving to every fortnight and musicians who play will get a free drink at the bar – woo-hoo!!

First night will be Thursday 23 March – put it in your diary! We will be running at the usual time of 8pm start, sign up at 7.30 (original material only, you know the drill!).

Hailey Beavis’s excellent night The Critter Session runs fortnightly at Woodland Creatures on the other Thursday which means that there will be a seamless transition of beautiful music every Thursday for musicians and music lovers. 

Hi folks,

A couple of things of interest to tell you, the first is about BBC Radio 6 Music. You’ve all heard it’s being axed this month, you’ve probably joined a Facebook group about it, but this will actually have no effect. What you really need to do to save BBC 6 Music is send them an email using this form:

http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/speakout/save6music?js=true

Just fill in the details and click through, in the section where you can edit the email you’re sending, please mention your own personal thoughts about why 6 Music should not be axed, and remember to add your name at the bottom. There are some helpful hints on the right side of the page for what to add.

This is important. BBC Radio 6 Music is a platform for all sorts of music that won’t be heard anywhere on a national level if the station is closed. Vote now and maybe we can save it, you’ve got about a week. Go to it! And thanks in advance.

________________________

Also, here’s something that may interest some of you:

Are You Britain’s Best  Music Act?

If the answer is ‘YES‘ then we want to meet you…

From the producers of ‘Got To Dance’, comes a brand new prime-time TV music talent show, that’s open to all ages, and all genres – as long as you can sing or play music (or both), then you’re in.

Are you the next Dizzee Rascal, Lily Allen, Kings Of Leon, Arctic Monkeys, Susan Boyle, Girls Aloud, Take That, Il Divo, Jamie Cullum, Vanessa Mae or Katherine Jenkins?

Solo artists, musicians, bands, groups and choirs of all sizes are welcome to audition.  For the winner, £100,000 is up for grabs PLUS the chance to perform at Wembley Arena.

For more information, and to register your interest,

email louise.metcalfe@princesstv.com and include a daytime contact number.

First up, the excellent Adam Holmes and The Embers………..Presents! live showcase continues for a second evening at The Voodoo Rooms on Wednesday 4 April from 8.00pm in The Speakeasy. Tickets £6 on the door. Over 18’s only. Featured acts:

• Adam Holmes and The Embers – “roots pop with a hint of Scotland” they have recorded three critically acclaimed EPs in the last twelve months, and have played sell out gigs throughout the country, including a storming set at Celtic Connections 2012.
• The Deadly Winters – Scottish band of brothers who re-define the term ‘folk-rock’, and take us on musical travels through tales of love, pain, sorrow, joy and friendship, and show us all that sometimes, even whispers can deafen.
• Brigid Kaelin – comfortable on piano, accordion, guitar, or the musical saw “the Bette Midler of Alt-country” was recently voted “Best Singer/Songwriter” in Louisville for the third year in a row.
• White Wolf – New and amazing solo artist……….and not to be missed!

Secondly, Edinburgh Council are asking for responses to new licensing rules for free events –http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QTZMWXP – and the consultation closes on Friday 13 April 2012. It is really important that you and everyone you know who enjoys free live music and other free arts events in Edinburgh let the council know what you think of this proposed legislation, also known as the “tax on art”. As Irvine Welsh said in today’s Evening News “[the art tax is] a brilliant idea if the intention is to destroy grassroots culture in Scotland.”

Despite the gloom of the art tax and closing of key venues such as Forest Cafe, Roxy Art House, Bongo Club and Cabaret Voltaire (to live music at least), there remain many quality live music events in Edinburgh, such as:

• Out of the Bedroom – Edinburgh’s originals-only open mic night, OOTB is on every Saturday evening from 8.00pm at The Montague Bar.
• The Listening Room – 100% acoustic every Sunday evening from 8.00pm at The Blue Blazer. Like OOTB, recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. Legendary!
• Edinburgh Unlimited – second Wednesday of the month at the the Third Door. Next gig is on Wednesday 11 April at 8pm with featured acts The Dirty Demographic, Dan Whitehouse, and Stephen Langstaff. £3 entry on the door.
• Acoustic Edinburgh – first Tuesday of the month. Next gig is tomorrow(!) Tuesday 3 April at 7.30pm with Gecko 3, Paul Ryan, Rob Sproul-Cran and Hailey Beavis. For Free! Amazing local acts.

Finally, Secret CDs resident DJ King Horror has started his own club night for the discerning music fan called… Grown Ups. Currently for one night only at at The Meadows Hotel on Saturday 21 April it starts at 8pm and is £5 at the door. If you fancy a boogie after Out of the Bedroom this might just be the perfect place for you.  As the GrownUps blurb says “We’re for grown ups who want a night out with cool vibes, great atmosphere and a friendly crowd… Expect rockabilly, soul, R’n’B, French pop, garage, teen beat, new wave, electro, indie and hip hop and everything in between. Think vintage vinyl for fully-fledged funksters – we’re more Bowie than TOWIE. ”

Keep loving the music!
James

Happy new year everybody. I took a week off from the OOTB email last week due to the festive season, and now the OOTB email is reclining into its new delivery window of Sunday lunchtime, which means the deadline for gig listings to be included is 10AM on Sunday from now on.

Secret CDs and Acoustic Edinburgh were great last week, and were quite well attended, which was encouraging for 2011. I’ll be giving you a few of this week’s upcoming listings in a minute but first…

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT OOTB

Many people have been asking me if OOTB is starting back up in The Tron. NO, it isn’t. Here are all the details you will need to attend OOTB…

It’s at the Montague Bar on the corner of St Leonards and Montague Street, and it’s on every Tuesday night, starting next Tuesday 18th January (not this Tuesday). It’s an 8pm start but get there by 7:30pm if you’d like one of the open slots.

Now, i just noticed that all the facebook and myspace invitations say that OOTB 407 is covers night. Now it’s out there, i don’t think there’s much we can do to take it back, so if you want to do a cover song on 18th January only then go for it, HOWEVER OOTB is for performers who write their own material only, we usually ask people not to perform anything they didn’t write themselves. Most of you will know this but it’s worth reiterating for any newcomers.

I would also stress that you are allowed to do your own songs on 18th January. You don’t have to do covers. You decide.We believe it’s possible to play, and hear, good music that you wrote yourself, without having to resort to yet another rendition of Hallelujah, Wonderwall or Redemption Song (no matter how excellent those tracks might be). Let me also stress that OOTB is a night that can be enjoyed even by those who aren’t there to perform. We’ve seen a lot of listening public at OOTB, however among the minds of the musicians, there is a certain air that they are only there to perform, some of them even signing up at 7:30pm and then leaving the pub until their slot comes up. It goes almost without saying that if you take this approach, you won’t enjoy the night, and furthermore, there’ll be nobody to blame but yourself. Sermon over, all i’m saying is, the main purpose of OOTB is to be enjoyable, so come along, have fun and enjoy it. 🙂

Next thing on my agenda is to tell you about Ben Young’s Atheist Advent project. He’s done 28 songs during December 2010, and they’re all stoaters, so go and check them out at atheistadvent.com.

Before we get to the events, i’ll remind you it’s nearly time for another FAWM. For those who don’t know this means February Album Writing Month. It’s a personal challenge that songwriters can set for themselves to write a 14 song album during February. In reality it’s a thriving online songwriting community. You can collaborate with other songwriters overseas and get practically instant feedback on all your new songs, and the bonus is, at the end of it all, you’ll have a lot of new songs (maybe not 14, maybe more than 14!) that you didn’t have before you started.

The whole thing is coordinated at www.fawm.org and their online community is already buzzing. I know a few Edinburgh songwriters have taken the plunge and got involved in previous years, why not give it a try yourself this year? Personally i have found it a very rewarding songwriting experience. Sign up now and get involved in the pre-FAWM discussions.

Okay, this week’s events. Well, tonight (Sun 9 Jan) it’s the Listening Room at the Blue Blazer on Bread Street. it starts at 9pm, with open slots, and then at 9pm it’s usually a featured artist, however i can’t see any information on their myspace about who this might be this week. Well, it’s all part of the unpredictability of life i suppose.

On Wednesday 12 Jan, it’s the first ever Edinburgh Unplugged, at 8pm downstairs in the Royal Oak on Infirmary Street. It’s only £2 to get in, and it features four acts, Lorraine McCauley and the Borderlands, Paper Truth, Hannah Werdmuller and Atomic Pigeon, all performing acoustically. Click the links, listen to the music (i actually got round to putting the links in this week!)

On Thursday 13 Jan, there’s the ReadEasy Writers Group at Forest, here’s what the organiser Harry Giles says: “We’ve set up the READeasy to be a safe and encouraging space forwriters to meet up, hear their words read, and get constructive critical feedback. The next open session is at the Forest, Bristo Place, 6 – 9pm, Thursday 13th January. It’s open to writers of any style, experience, identity and genre, and we welcome both newcomers and old hands — but places each month are limited. To secure a slot, e-mail inkyfingersedinburgh AT gmail DOT com in advance with your name and a piece of your writing attached — and then just come along on the night with cake and a ready mind. See the Writers’ Group website for full instructions (including length limits).”

On Saturday 15 Jan at Maggie’s Chambers, you can go along and support two OOTB related acts, Augustalia and Supermarionation are both performing in a Battle of the Bands at Maggie’s Chambers starting at 7:30pm. The other bands are Steel Rose, Fireproof Match and Deco Arcade, and it’s free to get in. Go along and be part of their success.

That’s it for this week, i hope you had a good festive season, and i hope you get yourself along to some of these events, because they’re all worth it, and you’ll enjoy them, and if you don’t come along then you won’t.

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

Happy New Year everyone! We hope 2024 will be a great year for you.

We will be running fortnightly in The Safari Lounge from Thursday 11th January. We also have plans for Out of the Bedroom beyond that, including the Meadows Festival open mic in June.

Watch this space. 🙂