And hello once again, one and all. I hope this update finds you well, and ready to party because THIS WEEK Out of the Bedroom is ten years old. To celebrate, we’re having a covers night (ironically!) at The Montague Bar on St Leonards Street, and that’s tomorrow night (Tuesday 1 Nov) at 8pm (with a suggested time of 7:30pm to sign up for a slot, first come first served). This week, for one week only, we’re allowing cover versions, but we particularly want to hear your covers of other OOTB performers’ songs, so you’ve got ONE DAY to learn something if you haven’t already. 🙂 And that’s free admission, tell all your mates, it’ll be a party.

Then on Wednesday 2 Nov at The Voodoo Rooms it’s Secret CDs, featuring Freeloadin’ Frank, Jill Hepburn, Norman Lamont and the Invisible Helpers, and Gordon Ballboy. Definitely a must-see, and it’s only £3 admission! And that’s at 8pm on Wednesday.

Then on Friday 4 Nov we’re having our big OOTB celebration party at Cab Vol on Blair Street, and the performers on Friday will be Fraser Drummond, Ross Galloway, James Whyte, and Caro Bridges. Only £5 admission for that one, but it’s a prompt 7pm start (6:30pm doors) and we won’t be running late because we’ve got a 10pm curfew. Plenty of other stuff will be happening at this event too, by the way, we’ve got one or two surprise floorspots lined up and of course the silver bag o’ dreams!

Huge thanks should go to James Igoe for the Wednesday and Friday events, he really pulled together a whole lot of people from OOTB times past and present and it’s going to be a very satisfying evening as a result I think. Here’s to another ten years!

That’s it for the listings this week, obviously the Ale House open mic is also on on Friday, and the Listening Room at the Blue Blazer on Sunday, and plenty of other things all over Edinburgh, but I can’t list everything here. One thing I will mention again though, is a very nice chap who’s promoting local music on his podcast, here are the details:
Steve Boniface – Labelled Independent, the New Music Podcast. Episode #6 Out Now!
Subscribe to the podcast
Listen to individual episodes
Find links to all our featured Labels, Artists & Events
Donate to the podcast, and win prizes!

And one last thing, for the second week running, we’ve got a review of OOTB! This could become a tradition! So without further ado, I’ll sign off and I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Daniel Davis, our chairman, and reviewer for last week.

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB 447 Tuesday 25/10/2011 The Montague
Performers: Roisin Russell, Jill Hepburn, Sam Porter, Tau Boo, Jimi Lee, Richard Bale, Dale Radley, Damian Casey-Boyce, Jamie Hey, Ross Galloway, Paul Chilver

As I arrive at The Montague, the room is packed, which is always a good sign. Not only that but many old-timers have crawled out of the woodwork tonight. Indeed I’m thinking that the woodwork must be pretty empty tonight.

Roisin Russell
I arrive just as Roisin is finishing her set; don’t berate me, I’m not on the rota to review I just fancied writing one on the spur of the moment. All I can say about Roisin is that she is a great songwriter with the voice of an angel.

Jill Hepburn
Jill goes back to the early days of OOTB and was one of the nominations for performing at the 10^th anniversary next week. The friendly twang-buzz of a banjo is always a nice change and always puts a smile on my face. Jill’s set is an exercise in relaxed competence, both in playing and vocal delivery. It is a treat to hear her excellent if infrequently heard talents.

Sam Porter
Its the first time I’ve seen Sam – so welcome if it is your debut. Sparkly finger-picking underpins his first number. His first lines however have me mentally reaching for the EQ. He has a brassy tone that says whiney american (although the song is not) – think teenage dirtbag and you’ll be in the ball-park. You need to open your throat. However as he sings more gently it warms up and improves. Although I’ve not seen him perform before he is obviously experienced and full of confidence. His second song reveals a really sweet falsetto that should feature in more songs. His last is a stompy bluesy 4-chord affair and is more of a character piece with incredibly rhythimic delivery possibly with a carribean/jack johnson influence. Nice set.

Tau Boo
The newly behatted Craig now comes with chorus and delay pedals, just in case you hadn’t already been pulled into his hypnotic tones it just got more atmospheric. His deep velvet diaphonous delivery of intensely personal songs washes over and through you. If there’s an album of this material it may well replace your current 3am album of choice. Lose yourself in the timewarping beauty of ‘Reverie’.

Jimi Lee
Jimi plays something that frankly looks like a game-boy and sounds little more sophisticated than Super Mario Brothers. He is accompanied by random tambourine from a stranger. There are no lyrics so its hard to comment on the songwriting, and I can’t really tell whether its all programmed or whether there is a performance aspect to it. The tunes are fine-enough examples of that genre if one of the least everyday experiences at a songwriter’s night. That’s for sure. If you want an audience it will need more than a guy sitting down with a game-boy – so have a think about this if live performance is your market. If lo-fi dance and dubstep are your thing he is looking for people to collaborate – so get in touch.

Richard Bale
This appears to be his first time at OOTB and possibly his first time playing in public. It’s a little scrappy and nervous, but this is what OOTB is all about and we’re very glad that you brought your songs out of the bedroom and into public performance. Keep coming and you’ll be surprised how quickly you improve. His first song is about a girl he has been obsessing over – we’ve all been there.

Dale Radley (Featured Act)
Dale has recently finished her studies and it’s great to see her playing in public again. She has brought with her an all-star band of some of the finest musicians inEdinburgh. There’s Fraser Drummond on sax and whistles improvising hooks and solos like there’s no tomorrow. John Farrell adds all those chords and flourishes that rest of us can’t reach on guitars, Ross Galloway on conga, and Stuart Clark supplying his trademark lazy-grooves on cajon. The set is a rip through Dale’s greatest hits and despite the group never having rehearsed together it just works in the way that quality musicians can communicate. In my book one of the finest featured slots of the year.

Damian Casey-Boyce
His first is an improvised song all about OOTB, The Montague and JY. We’re flattered – you can come back.
Damian is definitely the most rock ‘n’ roll performer of the night. Sharp, grooving and confident. We like.

Jamie Hay
Jamie is one of the success stories of OOTB this year. When he first came along some months back, he visibly shook with nerves and struggled to get his songs across. Each time he performs he just gets better, and more confident; last night there were no signs of nerves at all. Well done sir! Oh, and Calum covets your guitar.

Ross Galloway
I can never quite put my finger on why his songs work. They are not over-complicated and nor is his playing, but it is simply beautiful. Tonight it’s just a short set from Ross, but he’s one of the performers at the 10^th anniversary celebrations next week so come along and get your fill there.

Paul Chilver
He’s waited all night to perform, and Paul finishes off the night admirably. He’s relatively new to OOTB, having come to us via The Listening Room, and he’s certainly developing. Looking forward to hearing Paul’s future appearances at OOTB.

Compere: Calum Carlyle
Sound: Malcom McLean
Review: Daniel Davis

Hi again everybody,

This week at OOTB, as well as a lot of open floorspots which will be filled with the cream of Edinburgh’s live performers, we’ve also got Chris Yendell performing the featured act slot. He’s really good, and it’s always a good atmosphere when he’s playing, so come along, you’ll have a good time. It’s 8pm as usual (7:30pm to sign up for a floorspot) and that’s at The Montague Bar on St Leonards Street (formerly The Maltings) tomorrow (Tuesday 4 Oct), and it’s free as usual.

Also this week, it’s Secret CDs on Wednesday 5 October, at the Voodoo Rooms for only £3 you get four excellent acts performing live! The acts this month are: Miasma, Bob Hillary, Pol Arida, and Emma Forman. All four of these acts is great, in my opinion, and it’s a very eclectic selection too. Plus, Pol Arida plans to simultaneously broadcast the gig in Second Life (TM), so if you want to spend some time in cyberspace, you can do that on Wednesday too.

On Friday it’s the very enjoyable Ale House open mic as usual (at the Ale House on Clerk Street at 9:30pm on Friday 7 October), and it’s free of course.

And on Sunday it’s the Blue Blazer/Listening Room, on the corner of Spittal and Bread Streets. This week the featured act is Calum Carlyle, trying out a bunch of new songs, recently written as part of 50/90. Come along and hear a lot of songs being performed for the first time. The open mic section starts at 8pm, and the featured act is at 9pm and it’s free.

Another thing i wanted to mention is the Labelled Independent podcast. It’s a real collection of actual independent artistes, very interesting to listen to, and if you or someone you know is an independent artiste, you could be featured. Check it out. To subscribe for free on iTunes, search the iTunes store for ‘Labelled Independent’ or follow this link through the Apple website: http://bit.ly/labelledindyitunes (you can also listen via Podbean – http://labelledindependent.podbean.com/ – but subscribing is much easier via iTunes).

MORE IMPORTANT OOTB NEWS

So the first week of November is a big week for us, as it’s the tenth anniversary of the first Out of the Bedroom. To celebrate this, we’re having a “covers night” on Tuesday 1 November at The Montague Bar, please try to learn a song (or songs) by another OOTB performer, to perform on the night. You’re still allowed to do your original stuff of course, but we’d encourage you to do covers of your favourite songs from OOTB as well. And that’s on the 1st November, so you’ve not got long to get organised!

But Wait! Also that week, on Friday 4 Nov, at the Cabaret Voltaire Speakeasy from 7pm til 10pm it’s the big tenth anniversary OOTB extravaganza! We’ve got four live acts, and some other fun stuff too, plus the ubiquitous silver bag of dreams. It’ll be a fiver entry, and the four acts are: Rossco Galloway, Fraser Drummond, James Whyte, and Caro Bridges And The River. Well worth it. 🙂 A special mention should go to James Igoe of Secret CDs fame, also a founder member of OOTB, without whom this event would not have been possible.

And that’s it, see you out there in musicland, people, take care till then,

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

Hi everybody, right i’ve got two gigs to tell you about and two important announcements. Really important ones, so don’t skip this email. All your friends will be talking about it and you’ll be the only one left out of the loop. 🙂 

While i’m here, let me welcome any new subscribers to the list. There are a few people receiving this weekly mailout for the first time, and basically i just wanted to hello. Hello!

This week the featured act at OOTB is Supermarionation. That’s right, Edinburgh’s hard rockin’ wailers are coming to The Montague Bar to give us an acoustic set on Tuesday 13 Sep! Doors 8pm (7:30pm to sign up for a floorspot), and it’s free.

And on Wednesday 14 Sep it’s the long awaited launch of Edinburgh Unlimited at Medina, it’s the spiritual successor to Edinburgh Unplugged, except bigger, better, juicier! Doors open 8pm, it’s at Medina, 45-47 Lothian Street, it’s only £2 to get in, and you get to see four acts. This time they are: Donna Maciocia, Matt Norris and the Moon, Tim Holehouse, and Gipsy Rufina. They all have websites so fire up google if you’re on the fence, and have a listen, but take it from me £2 for all this is a bona fide bargain! It’s the big launch night this Wednesday, though there’s another Edinburgh Unlimited on 28 Sep, and another on 12 October, so stick those in your diary. More info available on the FB page. 

Now to the announcements, first of all it’s our TENTH ANIVERSARY coming up in November. Weve got three associated events, OOTB 448 (which falls on the exact ten year anniversary of the first ever OOTB), Secret CDs (which is the day after) and the big OOTB tenth anniversary extravaganza, which will be in the Bongo Club on Holyrood Road on Friday 4 November. There will be four acts (as yet unconfirmed) performing, and several floorspots, from OOTBers down the ages, and it’s pretty much an opportunity to get together and celebrate ten years of OOTB and see everyone again and all have a big knees up. The acts are still to be confirmed, but here are the rest of the details: It’s at The Bongo Club, it’s 7pm till 10pm (don’t be late!), it’s Friday 4 November and it costs just £5 admission, and all the money goes to OOTB. There will be a rather more extravagant raffle than usual, and all sorts of other excitements.

Now, back to the tenth anniversary covers night. That’s on 1 November and what we really want you to do is learn at least one cover song by another OOTBer past or present. You can do that, or some of your own stuff, but really we’re not looking for covers of your favourite Oasis or Radiohead songs, and that’s on 1 November at 8pm at The Montague Bar, another date for your diary. And that’s why i’m telling you about it now, to give you time to learn up your OOTB covers. Let’s do it, and make it special, it’s been a while since we’ve done one of these. Get in touch with your favourite OOTBers and ask them for lyrics and chords, if you like, don’t be scared, they’re all lovely.

Actually, i’ve got more announcements for you i just realised. First of all, Pockets came along to OOTB on Tuesday, did a great set, and announced that he’s now running Edinburgh’s cheapest recording studio, The Noisy Pocket, so click the link and check it out. Oh yes, if you are using The Noisy Pocket, please let them know you heard about it from the OOTB list, it’s helpful for us and for them. 🙂

And also i just wanted to remind you to go to the Ale House open mic on Friday at 9:30pm and The Listening Room on Sunday at 8pm. I could do a whole run down of open mics (like the one at Noble’s on Thursday, or the one in Walkabout in the Omni, also on Thursday) but that’s another project really. Nevertheless, get involved, get around. It’s fun!

And that’s it for another week, hope to see you at OOTB and/or Edinburgh Unlimited, take care till then!

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB Presents…

So, that’s it. Festival’s over, now we can get back to enjoying ourselves properly without all those arts types in the way! Students are back soon too, so they’ll be (hopefully) looking for all the best events on offer.

Speaking of which we’ve got something on offer for you on Tuesday (6 Sep), it’s Lost Telegrams at Out of the Bedroom. Not only do we get a featured act set from these creators of acoustic goodness, but we’ll also have two hours of open slots guaranteed to be filled by some of Edinburgh’s most impressive talents. No BS, i’m serious, the standard is really high at OOTB. And that’s at The Montague Bar on Tuesday at 8pm, for free! 7:30pm if you want to sign up for a slot to perform.

Then it’s the return of Secret CDs on Wednesday 7 Sep at The Voodoo Rooms. It’s only £3 for four acts, and this month the acts are: Lost Telegrams (hmm, that name sounds familiar!), Sam Barber and the Outcasts, Annette Chapman, and The Aspect (an electro-folk duo i believe) and that’s at 8pm at The Voodoo Rooms.

Also on Wednesday, Caro Bridges and the River are supporting Karima Francis at

Sneaky Pete’s on the Cowgate from 7-10pm, tickets are £6 and Caro Bridges is the first act on. 

The usual festivities are happening at the Ale House at 9:30pm on Friday, and at the Blue Blazer on Sunday at 8pm. Both free, both have open slots, and the Listening Room at the Blue Blazer has got The Sundancer as the featured act this week so pop in to that, it sounds good.

I don’t think i’ll be running a competition any time soon on this mailing list, just to follow that up for those who read last week’s email. Out of the bulging mailsack of two responses, only 50% were actually positive about the idea, it doesn’t bode well for the number of people who might enter the competition.

Next week has a bunch of stuff on as well, it’s Supermarionation giving us a featured act set at OOTB, and next Wednesday (14 Sep) it’s the first ever Edinburgh Unlimited featuring Donna Maciocia, Matt Norris and the Moon, Tim Holehouse, and Gipsy Rufina, all for only £2! We need to make this a hugely stonking night so come along, and most importantly get your friends (who like music) to all come along too. Also, at least two of them are touring acts (not local) so you’re unlikely to get the chance again in a hurry. (oh yeah, and please “like” the facebook group too)

Okay, thank you, music lovers, see you all soon!

Calum Carlyle

Out of the Bedroom

Sorry! I forgot to tell you about Fox Elipsus, who’s coming to Scotland from New York for his first ever concert in Edinburgh, at Beanscene (Nicolson Street) on Sunday 4 Sept, at 7pm and it’s FREE. Here’s what he says:

“my songs are about peace & environment, inspired by Lennon and such… the live show makes people laugh 😀 & is free for all ages… sleeping in the car to make the tour possible, so since it’s free, was hoping you might come & bring family & friends, kids welcome 🙂 & other cities below xx

Sun 4th Sept, starts 7pm – EDINBURGH
Beanscene, 95-97 Nicolson St, South Bridge, EH8 9BY

Also Wed 31st Aug Inverness (6pm @ Gellions), Thu 1st Sep Aberdeen (7pm @ Kilau Coffee), Fri 2nd Perth (7pm @ Willows Coffee), Sat 3rd Dundee (Noon @ Cafe Buongiorno) & Glasgow (6pm @ Rio Cafe), & others, see sites. “

Do go along, i’m sure it’ll be ace. 🙂

OOTB Presents… Ben Young!

So, did you survive the Festival? Apparently the Fringe is now finished (as of today) but the actual Festival officially lasts till next Sunday. Hope to see you all at the Fireworks Concert by the way!

Well, we’re still bringing you some of the best local and visiting artistes at Out Of The Bedroom, including this week’s featured act, it’s Ben Young! He’s incredibly good at writing and performing, and what’s more he’s a jolly nice chap too. This is pretty much your only chance to hear him play in Edinburgh so come along to The Montague Bar tomorrow (Tuesday 30 August) for his half hour feature set. And remember there are a ton of open slots too from 8pm, which tend to feature some great performers as well. Plus it’s free.

So yeah, that’s about it. Obviously don’t forget to go to some of the other things that are on too, if you have the time. There’s the open mic night at Noble’s in Leith on Thursday, and the Ale House open mic night on Friday (it was excellent again last week). As i said, it’s the Fireworks Concert on Sunday, and in previous years this has meant The Listening Room has taken a week off, though not this time, apparently. I just had a look at the Listening Room website, and it turns out that not only are they still running the night on Sunday 4 Sep, but it’s the incomparable James Igoe doing the featured act slot. It’s an 8pm start (open slots first, featured act afterwards) and it’s free, so go along there for an explosive performance from him.

Next week i’ll be giving you the details of the next Secret CDs night, and the week after it’s the huge relaunch extravaganza of Edinburgh Unlimited (formerly Unplugged) at Medina. Check your FB invites if you want to know the details before then, but again, both events promise to be a huge dollop of quality at bargain basement prices.

And if the chilly weather is keeping you in your house, why not listen to some of the new songs that have been written by songwriters the world over as part of 50/90 in the last couple of months? There are even some familiar OOTB regulars taking part. Enjoy!

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

PS – i’m thinking of running some sort of competition in this mailing list sometime, what do you think? If you could reply by emailing reviews@outofthebedroom.co.uk and let me know what you think of that idea it would be awesome.

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