Hello. This Saturday’s headline act at OOTB is a well known and popular performer out there on the live circuit who is well embroiled in the capital city’s music scenery. Calum Carlyle is an independent singer-songwriter from Orkney, now based in Edinburgh. He writes an enchanting blend of acoustic pop where his catchy melodies and thoughtful lyrics can take his audiences on a journey of human emotion, observation and morality.

He’s played throughout Scotland and England, and even a few times in Australia, as well as three past appearances on the Wickerman Festival Acoustic Village main stage. He’s also helped run Edinburgh’s longest running open mic night, Out Of The Bedroom, and he’s in two other bands, Neoviolet and The Ferny Brackens.

Calum has a solo CD out called ‘Honesty And Thorns’, and another called ‘Better Out Than In’. Both are reasonably priced and can be listened to on his website: calumcarlyle.co.uk

Stage slots are available on the night*. Just turn up sometime before 7:30pm to book one of those slots and everything will kick off at 8pm for an evening of taking part in, and witnessing a heady collection of fine original performances.

*It has been confirmed there will be a film crew from the BBC filming one of the acts this Saturday. OOTB will try to minimize disruption, but please bear in mind that it may be very busy, and sets may be shorter for the open slots due to circumstances we may not be able to control.

Much more worthy of your time than staying in during Scotland’s wettest month and watching a rather dodgy TV show on a rival channel presented by two disturbingly banal celebrities, where more desperate dull and drab so-called celebrities impersonate famous musical celebrities whilst being judged by yet even more meaningless one-dimensional celebrities. Does that ‘staying at home watching crap on telly’ face sound familiar to you?

Be there or be crushed by the unbelievable weight of Bobby Davro impersonating Cher…

OOTB 😀

“Blimey!”, exclaimed the landlady when she heard her tenant sing. Apparently that’s how this Saturday’s featured act got his name. A talent from the Edinburgh music scene, Jack Blimey has been a regular (and now a committee member) of OOTB for some time now. His music is a unique energetic mix of eclectic beat poetry and 1960s spy theme music underlined with a touch of dark humour. He has an acoustic guitar phobia, so it’s normal to see Jack adorning one of his electric guitars which adds to his unique style and sound.

Why not influence a whole audience to say “cor blimey” in harmonic unison after witnessing one of your fine performances? OOTB starts at 8pm, but turn up with your masterpieces sometime before 7:30pm to sign up for a fifteen-minute stage slot for a night of original music and creative works.

A recently started open mic event increasing in popularity that’s worth mentioning is the ‘Antihoot Open Stage’. It’s on at 8pm every Monday at Henry’s Cellar Bar (16a Morrison Street, Edinburgh) hosted by Lach. Acts such as songwriters, comics, poets, misfits, magicians, performance artists, burlesque are all welcome. Sign up time is 7:30pm. Lach also hosts his songwriters’ night every Tuesday, same place, at 7:30pm where acts can be invited from Monday’s open mic to do a featured set. Well worth checking out both of these nights for a good variety of music and talented performances.

Just uploaded some pics of OOTB 526. Have a look on our Photos page.

Right oh well then, be there or be spreading yourself far too thinly everywhere…

TB 😀

Oh hello,oh yeah, and OOTB have booked an oh so brilliant featured act this Saturday. We’ve been enjoying the music of Paul Gladwell for several years now as a regular performer around Edinburgh and beyond. His songs are finely crafted and delivered with equally high levels of professionalism and honesty. His influences include the likes of Rufus Wainwright, Richard Thomson and Nick Harper; and echoes of these can be heard in his own songwriting, though clearly more as homage than as imitation. From the dark and brooding to the pleasantly pop, Paul’s songs have something for everyone.

Fifteen-minute performance slots are for the taking if you want to come out and play. We start at 8pm, but turn up before 7:30pm to confirm a booking as it can be quite busy on the night.

OOTB are soon adding a new page to this website. It will contain links to the main websites of performers who have played on our stage before. If you have played for us in the past and would like to have your main website link established on our new ‘Artists’ page then get in touch via our Contact page, and a photo or pic would be beneficial to use as a thumbnail next to your link.

Looking forward to seeing you all this Saturday.

Be there or be a stubborn old horse-toothed mare…

😀

Hello. In need of a musical fix? Then Broken David as our featured act this week is just the man. He has graced the OOTB stage before to audiences who appreciate a top performance in Broken David’s style of original acoustic folk, pop and rock. His lyrics are observational and emotional sung with catchy melodies accompanied by David’s natural guitar playing. He is a jolly nice guy with a good sense of humour and is well worthy of coming along to the Kilderkin bar for a session of fantastic music this Saturday night.

In his own words, “Broken David glimmers in the space between soaring and crashing to the ground. Creating narrative out of a fractured journey towards better things, he sings of hope, pain and bemusement. Original song writing with nothing new to say.”

Here’s a link to some of Broken David’s songs: soundcloud.com/brokendavid

Stage slots await to be filled with your own original performances. We welcome not just music, but spoken word also. Got some self-written poems to showcase? Then join in and let us all hear what you got. OOTB starts at 8pm, just turn up sometime before 7:30pm to book a fifteen-minute slot under the spotlight.

Fancy a shot at hosting or sitting behind the mixer tweaking sound levels? OOTB are always looking for volunteers to help out. Talk to any of us on the night or send an email via our contact page. It’s all good fun and healthy for the soul.

Be there or be a bare bear without care…

TB 😀

Hello. OOTB have booked a popular and talented songwriter this Saturday as headline act. Andy Paul is a regular performer out on the live circuit and has played on our stage several times. He shows no fear and projects his songs with confidence and passion. Andy’s music is upbeat and energetic, the lyrics are direct and truthful of the quirks of human behaviour with a bite of cutting humour thrown in occasionally. His style is a unique mixture of folk, pop and rock played cleanly on acoustic guitar and other stringed instruments. It can therefore only be a stellar night of entertainment and talent on the OOTB stage. Here’s a link to Andy’s music: soundcloud.com/andy-paul

Regular slots are up for grabs as usual. We start at 8pm, but turn up sometime before 7:30pm to book a fifteen-minute zone of stage time. It’s original songs only of course and free entry as always. Poetry and spoken word performances are welcome too if you want to narrate your creations to an appreciative audience.

The Open Mic page has just been updated for this month with not much difference from last month. If you know of any such event that’s not on there then get in touch and we will add it to our list for all to see. In the mean time the list will be updated as when necessary.

Look forward to seeing you all at the Kilderkin bar this Saturday.

Be there or be scorned with an “oh for goodness’ sake” exasperated stare…

TB 😛

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 😀