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The students must be back or something, because Edinburgh’s starting to explode with artistic and creative activity. You all know i’m about to launch into a list of events for you to go to, so let’s get started. First thing is the Hidden Door Festival which is on from this Friday to Sunday at the Roxy Art House, just have a look at the performers, there’s dozens, and the ones i’ve heard of are very good indeed (in some cases exceptional, including Lipsync For A Lullaby and Iona Marshall), so do consider going to that.

Before that though, a band you may have heard at Out of the Bedroom, Divide and Rule will be performing on Thursday 21st October at 9:30pm in Sofi’s Bar at 65 Henderson Street in Leith. Show your support, and have a great night out.

Also on Thursday 21st October, at Henry’s, 8a Morrison Street, it’s TV21 Acoustic, a night which features Iain Shaw, Sam Barber And The Outcasts, and Shock & Awe. It’s £5 on the door.

Did you know it’s currently the Edinburgh World Justice Festival by the way? And there are a lot of free events you can attend. Here are a few of them, they’re not musical, but you know there’s a history of musicians being politically active, so why don’t i tell you anyway? You can skip to the paragraph after if you really aren’t interested in justice.

Okay, these are all free and unticketed by the way, tonight (Tue 19 Oct) in the Quaker Meeting House (up the steps off Victoria Street) at 7pm, it’s a debate entitled “Private Gain, Public Pain: Campaign Against the Arms Trade“. Then tomorrow (Wed 20 Oct) in the Augustine United Church it’s a discussion called “For Our Honour: Scotland’s Role in Tackling Honour Based Violence” at 7pm. On Thursday 21st at 7:30pm it’s “Afghanistan: 30 Years of War and Poverty” at the Augustine United Church again. And on Saturday at St Columba’s by the Castle (at 14 Johnston Terrace) it’s “Cuba and Health“, a film and then a debate, that’s at 2:45, and then it’s followed at 4:45 by “Son Cubano y Salsa“, a celebration of music and Cuban culture. Not bad for free, i suspect i’ll be there all afternoon.

Now, it’s actually just over a week away, but i thought i’d just mention the next Lot Acoustic Showcase on Wednesday 27th October (which is next Wednesday), featuring The Last Of Barrett’s Privateers, Quickbeam, the captivating Hailey Beavis and Kat McKenzie. It’s 7pm-10.30pm as usual at The Lot in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket it’s a 14+ gig and it’s £4 adv/£5 on the door.

There are some more good things on the horizon, like a special Hallowe’en evening at Medina featuring Matt Norris and the Moon, Dry The River and Lorraine McCauley, and also Norman Lamont’s tribute evening to Leonard Cohen on 30 Oct at Captain’s Bar. I’ll give you all the details next week, but do search for these yourself on the ‘net (either google for the venues or for the bands, it’s how i get quite a lot of the information for this newsletter, and why should you wait on the newsletter when you can find out the info for yourself?)

I got an email from Paper Truth this week telling me about his new EP, “Tame” that he’s just released. So go and check that out, Paper Truth is excellent, for those of you that remember him at OOTB (well, he’s just as good for those of you who don’t, i suppose!).

Quite a few people have been asking how the search for a new OOTB venue is going, and it is proceeding apace. well, when i say “apace”, i mean quite a slow pace. However, the OOTB inner circle have been wheeling and dealing with key people in all the right places, and we’re not prepared to put up with OOTB being out of action for too much longer, so hopefully i’ll be able to give you an announcement in the next couple of weeks at longest about where and when you can get your OOTB fix again. And thanks to all the people who’ve told me how useful the OOTB mailouts are in the meantime, it makes it all worthwhile! 🙂

On the other hand, it’s nice to see that our “sister” nights at the Blue Blazer/Listening Room (Sundays 8pm) and the McEwan’s Ale House (9pm Fridays) are being so enthusiastically attended in OOTB’s absence, McEwan’s Ale House was stuffed with people last week, and the Listening Room’s been very well attended too.

One other thing i was going to mention is the Hog The Stage competition. 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 happy if you would “like” my song, but i’m honour bound to tell you that you’ll find songs by Aaron Wright, Joe Viterbo, Augustalia, Banana Sessions and many more on the Hog The Stage website. So go and have a listen and click the ones you like.

I kind of feel like i’ve missed something out. If you sent me an email about a gig and i’ve not mentioned it, then sorry about that. I don’t think i have though, it’s just a feeling. Anyway, all the more reason for you to go and fire up google and find out who’s playing where near you and when for yourself! 🙂 And remember to “like” all the bands you enjoy on facebook, and friend them up on myspace, oh and buy their CDs too! You may be surprised how much of a boost it is when bands sell some of their CDs, and you get a permanent record of what one of your favourite bands sounds like. In my experience you don’t get a lot of opportunities to buy a band’s CD either, they either sell them all or split up, so buy the CDs now while you can, i say. Remember you can get beer any time, but music will fade away without constant financial nurturing! Okay, sermon over, see you all here next week, same time, same channel.

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB – just a minute…

Posted 12/10/2010 By admin

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

What’s On This Week?

Posted 05/10/2010 By admin

Hi everybody! People still say to me “oh i’ll need to get myself along to OOTB sometime”, which is very supportive of them, but a wee message to all those people, we’ve not actually been running OOTB nights for four weeks now. Just so you know. Don’t worry though, we’ll be back. In the meantime, here are a few things that are on this week that you might wish to try out…

Tonight (Tuesday) it’s Acoustic Edinburgh at Medina. It’s free, and it’s the first Tuesday of each month (which means it’s probably too late to go for this month by the time you read this, but you’ll know for next time). Paul Gladwell’s playing tonight and Gary Stewart’s headlining, and there are a few other acts too.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), it’s Secret CDs at the Voodoo Rooms. As far as i know this is the first time Secret CDs has been at the Voodoo Rooms, and this is one gig i won’t be missing. Here’s who’s playing: Joe Viterbo, this is the band that features Ralph Speed and Graeme Mearns. That’s pretty much all the information you need to know that this will be well worth coming out for. Sacre Noir are on too, again, not to be missed. I remember their first gig at the Wee Red Bar fondly, and they’ve gone from strength to strength since. Amy Duncan‘s on too! Holy crap how does Mr Igoe get such great lineups at his gigs? Showing my age a little, but mt first experience of Amy Duncan was as part of the Edinburgh trio Automatic Earth, which featured Neil Dixon, back in the 20th century. She’s great, so come along. ANd finally, Hailey Beavis who is part of the Forest Records Collective, and i generally have been very impressed with everything from them that i’ve heard, and i bet you will too. Doors open at 7.30 p.m. and entry will be a ridiculously cheap £3 with a special offer of £1 discount on your first CD purchase of the evening.

This always happens, two come along at once! Also tomorrow (Wednesday), it’s Matt Norris And The Moon and Edward And The Itch at Maggie’s Chamber, as part of the This Is Not A Toga Party night, think it’s £3 on the door, doors are open 8pm, and there’s another band on (sorry! Haven’t got the info to hand), tell them who you heard about the gig from when you go.

On Thursday, in the Jazz Bar, it’s Roberta Pia’s Unpeeled night, starring: Emily Scott, Donna Maciocia, William Douglas And The Wheel and Lee Paterson. Also, you get to see the Too Much Fun Club creating art before your eyes. So that’s all really good, and it’s £4 to get in, or £3 for students. And tell them where you heard about the gig too, please. 🙂 – oh yes, the first fifty attendees get a “winner” medal, apparently.

On Friday it’s the McEwan’s Ale House Open Mic of course, always a good one, i’ve only heard good things about it.

Then on Sunday, (10 October) the featured act at The Listening Room at The Blue Blazer is Dave Robertson aka Heroin In A Nutshell, all the way from Perth. You very rarely get to hear him performing in Edinburgh, so don’t miss him. His stuff’s like energetic acoustic rock. It’ll get your cardiovascular system going. And it’s free. 8pm for the open mic section, 9pm for Dave Robertson’s set.

Then next Tuesday it’s the Regent Showcase, again, always a good one. 8:30pm start, and it’s a right rollicking selection of Edinburgh’s burgeoning acoustic talent.

That’s about it for now, if you’ve got an OOTB related gig to tell everybody about, then let me know, i’ll also tell you about any updates to the Itinerant OOTB saga as and when we get them, but until then, rock on!

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

A few things…

Posted 23/09/2010 By admin

It was nice to see some OOTB faces smiling happily at us at the Neoviolet/Caro Bridges/Cal Roberts/Hannah O’Reilly/Dan Gillan gig on Monday, thanks for coming along to that.

In the meantime, we’re actively sorting out a new home for OOTB, but if your open mic appetite is unsated in the meantime, why not try this out, just got this update from Banshee Labyrinth: “The wailing Banshee Open mic night has now been moved to TUESDAY nights. (FREE entry!) If you are looking for an evening with a little bit of culture this evening is for you. We are looking for singer, song writers, poets, anyone with some musical/artistic ability who would like some stage time. Just sign-up on the night. “

And here’s this week’s gig of the week, if you like, it’s Jump Press A/The Liberty Bells/The Last Knights/The Voltaires/Pray For Ryan at the Wee Red Bar on Saturday 25 September, and it’s £5/4 to get in. Don’t miss it!

There’s more stuff happening next week, but i’ll tell you about that in next week’s email. Take care till then!

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB And Aboot

Posted 14/09/2010 By admin


Another week’s gone past! Hope you’re all recovering from the Festival by now. Just got a few events to tell you about this week, firstly it’s the Regent Showcase tonight, it’s in the Regent Bar, which is at the top of Abbeymount and the end of Regent Road. Starts at 8:30pm and it’s free to get in. The musical selection often has a considerable overlap with Out of the Bedroom, it’s always been a good night in my experience, go along, you’ll like it. 🙂

I’m always telling you about the McEwan’s Ale House open mic on Fridays at 9pm, and The Listening Room at the Blue Blazer on Sunday starting at 8pm, and i’m mentioning them again because i still keep hearing from people how good these nights are (though i’ve been too darn busy to go along for a while myself, hope to rectify that soon!), so yeah, go to those, if you can, they’re great fun.

Next thing to mention to you is a gig at the Voodoo Rooms Ballroom on Monday 20th September, featuring Hannah O’Reilly, Neoviolet, Caro Bridges, Dan Gillan and Cal Roberts, and it’s £5/4 to get in (which is a bargain for five acts of this calibre. What can you buy for a fiver these days? Seriously…)


Wheels (slowly) turn behind the scenes as we breathe life into the old OOTB horse yet again, more news on that as it happens, in the meantime, relive the good old days on our YouTube channel! Say hello if you see me at one of those gigs i just mentioned too. 🙂

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB 406 – Les Petits Maitres

Posted 19/08/2010 By admin

Hello again everybody. This week our feature act are Petits Maitres. They haven’t got a myspace that i can find, i haven’t (to my knowledge) heard them perform. Sorry if you wanted a rundown of what they’re like, looks like you’ll just have to turn up to OOTB and find out by listening to them! I plan to anyway. More havoc and craziness this week as OOTB continues to drag itself through the Festival in the top bar of the hot and sweaty Tron….


Also, I received the following email from Norman Lamont, see if you are interested in being part of this Leonard Cohen tribute event…

I’m working with a small venue to promote a Leonard Cohen tribute evening some time in October. The idea is each person would play one, or maybe two, Cohen songs. There’d be a charge at the door and all proceeds would go to a charity, to be selected yet. At this stage I’m just looking to see who’d be interested, as there’s a question mark over the size of the venue.

Anyone interested, please drop me a line at biz@normanlamont.com

There’s no guarantee of a place for anyone – it all depends on numbers and venue but people can register interest with me. There’s no need to choose a song now.


Tons of other stuff on of course, Matt James is launching his new CD at the Phoenix Cellar Bar tomorrow (Wednesday), with support from Aos Si, Hannah O’Reilly and Jym Ponter, it’s at 6:30pm and costs a fiver.

Andi Neate is playing a show at the Jazz Bar on Thursday at 7:30pm, sorry but i’ll be at OOTB!

Tonight at Medina, Acoustic Edinburgh presents Emily Scott, Jo Mango, and the incredible Banana Sessions. It’s not free during the Festival, as far as i know, but who cares, you’re only young once, right? Personally I’m off to see Susanna Macdonald‘s Experimentalista show tonight (having been kept away by prior engagements and a cold till now).

On the 24th August, which is a week today (Tuesday) there’s another Regent Showcase, unsurprisingly, at the Regent Bar, it’s free, it starts at 8:30 and it’s a whole lot of fun in a bun.

Every Sunday The Listening Room is still chugging away, open slots in The Blue Blazer on Sunday from 8pm to 10pm. Again, a lot of fun, seems you get a lot of interesting performers at the Blazer during the Festival.

The Big Red Door are having a craft sale on the 21st August (which is Saturday) at 10am, oh yes, the Out of the Blue Drill Hall on Dalmeny Street is doing something similar on Saturdays now too, except it’s more of a market with produce and so on, you can get your weekly shopping in! That’s 10am till 2pm every Saturday.

This Friday (the 20th) at 7:30pm at Word of Mouth Cafe on Albert Street, there’s another open mic night. As you know, i think it’s an excellent one, so do come along. it’s free, and it’s fun.

Oh yes! Nearly forgot, I’m going on tour starting on Saturday, so if you live anywhere in the UK (except down south), then do come along, or if you know someone out in the sticks, tell them to go along to one of our more rural gigs. More details here anyway.

Sorry if you have an event i missed off this list, it can be difficult compiling a relevant list of gigs, especially during the festival. Anyway, see you all on Thursday (if you can fit into the tiny Tron top bar that is!)

Calum Carlyle
Oyut of the Bedroom

PS –  i just realised i forgot to mention Fanattica’s final ever gig! It’s THIS SATURDAY in Henry’s Cellar Bar at 7pm. Too important for me not to tell you, so i’m sending this little PS. More details on the FB event page here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141989199168493

See you all out there in musicland!

The Last of Barratt’s Privateers are the featured act in this week’s Out of the Bedroom, in The Tron on Thursday at 8pm. It’s free, and to be frank, they’re awesome. They’re like modern Scottish bluegrass, and you may recognise one or two of the band members too. There’s no musical reason these guys shouldn’t be charging several quid to get into one of their gigs, see them now while you can for free.And that brings me neatly to something i have been wanting to say on this list for a wee while. Every time i go to Out of the Bedroom, i am impressed by the high standard of performances, and the range of styles. Not only that, the whole evening is free to get into. Despite this, people still tell me they think open mic nights are rubbish and most acoustic performers are samey and boring. If you think this, then i am 100% certain you aren’t going out to enough quality music nights. Either that or you just don’t like much music, and if that’s the case, why are you even on this mailing list?

All i’m saying is, i go to quite a lot of music nights in Edinburgh and beyond, many of them acoustic nights, and many of them featuring one or two performers who play at OOTB, or who have played there in the past. I like to think i have a discerning ear, and i know who i like most, musically, and why. With this in mind, i think Edinburgh is heaving with great acts, and many of them are playing free gigs the whole time. In short, i cannot in any way agree with anyone telling me that they think our evenings don’t contain a wealth of good performances. I’m not even trying to big up OOTB here, i’m actually trying to acknowledge the immense amount of talented songwriters who have graced us with their music. I mean last week it was Caro Bridges, and she’s really good as well. I can’t remember the last time i didn’t enjoy the OOTB feature act in fact.

I, and the rest of the committee, have worked hard to make OOTB the night it is, and we will continue to do so, for your enjoyment, and i hope that you will continue to come along to OOTB in the future, not out of a sense of obligation, but because you might enjoy it. We hope you will. Don’t get me wrong, i think criticism is good for a performer or songwriter as it helps them improve, that’s why we like to have reviews of our nights (though this is now on hiatus for the foreseeable future again sadly), but lazy criticism from people who haven’t even been along to the evening they are criticising anytime in the past year really has no value other than to create bad feeling.Now i’ve said that, just want to lighten the mood and tell you about some of the overwhelming amount of stuff that’s on in Edinburgh this week. There’s a lot of it, and here’s just a sample:

Tonight (Tuesday) it’s Acoustic Edinburgh at Medina featuring Edwina Hayes, Player Piano and Stanley Odd! – It’s at 8pm, and Acoustic Edinburgh is on every Tuesday during the Fringe Festival. It costs to get in during the Festival though, but it is very worth it. Also tonight it’s another Regent Showcase in the Regent Bar at the top of Abbeymount and Easter Road, starting at 8:30pm i believe, this one is free, and features a selection of Edinburgh’s acoustic performers and at least one comedian. I’ve been to one or two of these and it’s a lovely relaxed atmosphere. You’ll enjoy it. Honest. 🙂

Susanna Macdonald‘s Fringe show Experimentalista is in full swing, and tonight’s your last chance for a two-for-one deal on the tickets, though it’s worth seeing any time in the month.The Listening Room‘s still on on Sunday during the Festival (except on Fireworks night) at 8pm, in the Blue Blazer on Spittal Street and Bread Street, for two hours of open slots, so much eclectecism will be going on there. Also, Word Of Mouth coffee shop on Albert Street are offering a 20% discount during the whole month of August if you quote “facebook”. Bit cheeky of me to repeat that here, so if you do take advantage of this, please join their FB group. Also, while i remember, there’s an open mic night at Word of Mouth on 20th August (a week on Friday i think)? I’ll not be able to go myself, because i’m playing a gig in Bannerman’s that night (which you’re all welcome to come along to, though i think it’s a couple of quid to get in). Anyway, Word of Mouth on 20th August, they run a good open mic night, every time i’ve been along, very diverse, and everybody gets a fair hearing. Starts at 7pm for 7:30 and it’s free.

 

Now, The Banshee Labyrinth on Niddry Street are host to a few music nights during the Fringe, courtesy of Bainbridge Music, and the one i want to tell you about is on Sunday 15th August, at 7pm. Apart from anything else Neoviolet are playing (which is rare at the moment), and on the same bill you can hear me (Calum Carlyle & Sam Bradley) as well, all for free!!!

Hannah O’Reilly and Andy Valentine are playing at McEwan’s Ale House on Saturday 14th, it’s free too and it’s at 10pm.

Tomorrow (Wednesday) it’s Secret CDs at the Phoenix Cellar Bar, at 8pm too, £2 entry, and well worth it. This months the acts are Collar Up, Freight, Kat McKenzie and Michael O’NeilAlso in the Phoenix Cellar Bar, the following Wednesday (18th) it’s Matt James with his highly interesting percussive guitar style, releasing his new CD “Cyan”. Supporting acts are Hannah O’Reilly, Aos Si and Jym Ponter. Not sure how much it costs to get in but it’ll be reasonable. Not to be missed, since Matt James is not based in Edinburgh anymore.This Friday (13th!) at The Big Red Door it’s Banana Sessions – i caught both of their sets at the Wickerman Festival and i can heartily recommend them to you. Zed Penguins are on too, and though i’ve not heard them yet, i bet they’re awesome too. Go along, and have some fun. It’s on at 8:30pm and it’s one of your last chances to see a gig at the BRD.

I just know there’s a ton of stuff i haven’t mentioned. Sorry if your event was one of them. Okay, off you go, at least one gig a night now, and no excuses! 🙂

Calum Carlyle
Out of the Bedroom

OOTB 403 – Another Evening of Treats

Posted 29/07/2010 By admin

Out of the Bedroom 403

 

I’d like to start this weeks review with a rant, a rant about misconception. There are still many out there who shun open mic nights, as being dark, dingy and more often than not, full of ruefully untalented musicians. I’d like to assure everyone of that mindset, that you are wrong.

Out of the Bedroom, as one of Edinburgh’s premier open mic events, is the perfect example of this. Held in The Tron, which as far as good pubs go is an institution, the event can be measured by sheer longevity. How would such an evening, without some justification, have lasted so long? Furthermore, the justification is simple: Out of the Bedroom has built itself a reputation for being the first stage of many successful artists, ones who have progressed to great heights and who still remember their beginnings. But I am not asking you to believe me, I am asking that if you have ever had a doubt about the quality, the atmosphere, or the sheer skill of the artists on show, get yourself to this Thursday’s event.

 

Rant over, let me tell you about OOTB 403. I arrived as Broken Tooth was closing his set with a classic, blues-rock number. His clever guitar work left me wishing I’d arrived sooner. After a short break the night’s feature act got under way: OOTB’s Cameron Robinson (who was compère two weeks ago).

I was excited to see Cameron play and his music did not disappoint, despite admitting that an hour before, “in true rock and roll style”, he had broken his high E string and replaced it with a B. He admitted that going from a set of three songs to six had been hard, and that three of his songs had consequently been written in the last few days. His first to songs demonstrated great emotion, with a variation of chords and picking, on both an acoustic guitar and Cam’s ukulele. The next two songs continued to showcase a strong vocal performance, and the lyrics in ‘Ghosts’ were quite potent. He overcame a technical error with his ukulele very professionally and with a cry of “Everbody” the final chorus swung through. He did seem to be struggling with his tuning a little, but the fact he was playing with the wrong strings was not noticeable, and very impressive. The different tunings made for a nice variation in the tones of his songs as well. His last song, ‘Keep it going’ was about casual relationships and like the others was quite short. But this didn’t matter, it was the emotion in Cam’s songs that set him apart, and also how relaxed and comfortable he was as a performer.

Next on stage was Stephen from band Collar Up. I had a strong feeling that I had seen him before, but could not remember where. Regardless, I was more than happy to see him again. His first number, ‘A Jam Jar Full of Wasps’, is a political rant targeted right at the expenses scandal. The line “Don’t justify it to me”, was incredibly powerful, and made me want to record the song, and blast it through the Houses of Parliament. His strong Scottish accent adds heart to his songs, and enforces the sentiments. A hangover was the topic and inspiration behind the second song and the third, ‘Pay the Cost and Drive On’ could be a modern day anthem for the masses. With occasionally shaky vocals, the skilled piano/keyboard work really carried the set through. Stephen is playing Secret CDs on 11 Aug, meaning the Pheonix Cellar Bar on Broughton Street is the place to be that night.

Calum Carlyle appeared next and this was the first time I’ve seen him play since Acoustic Edinburgh in April. ‘The Rest of Our Lives’ was his first song, written just a week ago, and was certainly not lacking in spirit. There was some great slide-guitar in his second piece, and the again strong lyrics shone through. The set closed with ‘Something Worthwhile’ which was a fantastic last song. The questions within create confusion, and a sense of begging for some form of clarity from the world.

Back again was OOTB regular Nyk Stoddart, stating that this time he would “start ballad style, then melt the guitar in front of you.” Opening with ‘Someday All These Things Will Make Sense’ he stayed true to the first part of his promise. This is a beautiful tune and created real emotion. His second song, ‘Calypso’ demonstrated some rather random lyrics but was nonetheless a very enjoyable tune. Finally in ‘The Blues’ Nyk showcased his ability to truly “melt the guitar” with a fantastic blues solo and some clean, lightning-fast shifts.

For the third week in a row the final set was provided by Felicity, and there is no-one I’d rather have do it. The second song I her set was a new one to the stage, the line “please don’t break my heart, it’s yours” sticking most poignantly in my mind. She dealt well with the distraction of a noisy audience, who stayed right to the end of the evening – good for OOTB and good practise for the artist. Despite the crowd Felicity never fails to please and seems incapable of hitting a wrong note. The now familiar line of “Susie says she loves you” as clear and crisp as ever. I would recommend trying to see Felicity if you can, and look forward to hearing her play a longer set.

And so ends the third Out Of The Bedroom VO has covered. We hope you enjoy the review and if so, come along next week and enjoy the music! Thanks again to the OOTB team, we hope to see you all soon.

if anyone would like to review or photograph for us, they can get the appropriate details on our Facebook page – just search “Visual Opinions”

Review – Adam J Bell

OOTB 403 – Cam’s On, Feel The Noise!

Posted 27/07/2010 By admin

Out of the Bedroom 403 features Cameron Robinson, and he’s great, so come along this Thursday. He’s a strong acoustic songwriter, always with something up his sleeve. He might even bring his ukelele if you’re lucky!

No sign of a review this week, i’m afraid, but don’t let it ruin your week. we’ll always have the OOTB 401 review and photos after all… (Postscript – actually, the OOTB 402 review just came in. You can read it here. Thanks to Adam from Visual-Opinions.com for the review and photos, and if you want to become an OOTB reviewer, please contact Visual-Opinions.com and make yourself known).

Want some new music? Here’s Hannah Werdmuller with a new song called “Fat Pigeon”

And here’s a video of Nyk Stoddart performing “You Are Not Here” live on 24th June at Out of the Bedroom.

You can also see a music video by Pol Arida here and Hannah O’Reilly’s new video can be found here. Enjoy!

And there’s a lot of other music popping up on the 5090 site, which i may have mentioned in passing in previous weeks. A few of the songwriters are from our shores here are a few Edinburgh songwriters you might enjoy:

HOWEVER i strongly urge you to check out some non-Edinburgh performers too, like these recommended tracks for example. Also, check back over the next couple of months when everybody’s uploaded a lot more songs.

One other thing, Tommy Mackay has just co-released a single with Armando Iannucci, Check it out here.

Okay, time for the events. The Listening Room at The Blue Blazer at 8pm on Sunday and McEwan’s Ale House Open Mic on Friday at 9pm both get a mention of course, because they’re consistently good. Now let’s see what else is on.

Tonight you can go and hear a lot of bands for free at Forest Cafe including Acid Fascists, Glassface, Seafield Foxes, Dead On The Live Wire and Andy Brown’s Victorian Karaoke. None of them have any particular connection to OOTB, i don’t think (not yet anyway!) but it’ll be a good night and it’s free. 7pm to 11pm. Tell them OOTB sent you!

Tomorrow at Forest Cafe, it’s “An Evening of Songs with Freeloadin’ Frank” from 9pm to 11pm. Not sure if this is Frank doing a full size set himself or if there will be floorspots from other performers. I’d imagine it’s the latter. Again, it’s free.

There are a lot of Edinburgh Fringe gigs i want to tell you about, but i think i’ll generally mention them in the week approaching the actual gigs. Here’s one show i want you to know about in advance though, it’s Susanna Macdonald’s “Experimentalista”. It’s a really good show, based in part on her new full length CD, which is challenging but very rewarding. Go and book your tickets now to avoid disappointment!

Interesting times for OOTB ahead, as The Tron prepares to close for refurbishment after the Festival, so come along to OOTB over the next few weeks, while we’re still in The Tron and i’ll keep you informed here about what OOTB will be doing for the rest of the year once the Festival’s done. See you on Thursday!

OOTB 402 – 22 July 2010

Posted 22/07/2010 By admin

When I arrived, this week’s Out Of The Bedroom (OOTB) was already in full swing. I arrived in time to see the compère, musically known as Broken Tooth, play a filler song in his dark, blues-rock style. It was a strong performance, with big chords and big vocals, and broke me nicely in to the night.

The compère finished playing and introduced the featured act of the evening, a man of many names, tonight playing as Jason Kyrone. I must admit that the first song I heard reminded me initially of Coldplay, but I was soon proven very wrong indeed. The emotions in Kyrone’s songs are much more profound. He introduces his second song with a story: “This is about a famous tramp on Leith Walk, called Arthur.” The song is upbeat and the fast strumming creates a strange positivity. He sings of “A little black book of inexplicable plans”, a beautiful lyric. His next piece, “The Tickle Monster” is about the lies that parents tell their children to get them to behave. The lyrics are humorous but the arpeggio guitar makes the song incredibly heartfelt. “Compatibility” was his next piece, and I noticed how his strong Scots accent, used when introducing the tracks, was only noticeable in parts of the song. It helps make the overall tone very reflective and soulful. He has a great vocal range, with wails easily traversing high to low. The penultimate track was introduced as “A story about a one dollar bill.” He mentions the sentimental value of the piece, and the gentle plucking reflects this. “I made it into a plane and flew it instead”, he sings, a great metaphor for freedom. His last song, simply called “More to Us”, rounded of the set and left me in no doubt that this man is an accomplished performer, who could hold his own on a much bigger stage.

Steve was next on stage, and told us that the three songs he would play were all new, never before played outside of his house. That being what the evening is all about, the audience were immediately engaged. He apologised in advance for any mistakes, though it soon became apparent he need not have bothered. His first song, laid some calm, mournful lyrics against a strong bass-strum style, and instantly established his ability with an acoustic guitar. His second piece was faster-paced and more hopeful. Clean chord changes were indicative of a simple yet powerful song, and the steady rhythm carried the lyrics. Freedom is one of my favourite themes in a song, indeed one my own writing centres around, and this tracks lives up to all my expectations. A nice flourishing solo at the end concluded the track. His final song was slower again, with feelings of being oppressed and strong metaphors about love or marriage. There was some intricate guitar work again in the bridge, which was very impressive.

Following this performance was Nick Splinter Smith, who came on stage with an acoustic guitar and a mouth harp – not something we see very often. As a big Dylan fan I was instantly captivated, and Nick did not disappoint. His first song, “Brotherman” was a bluesy piece that used both instruments to great effect, contrasting the tune to his dark, husky vocals. The song was very powerful and sounded classic, but maybe with a slightly modern edge to some of the chord progressions. His second piece, called “Patience has left the building” is from a book of songs titled “Living in Skyland”. It was a much more mournful piece, with some great minor chords and a strong rhythm. The strumming was mixed with some tricky picking that gave the song a great texture, as he played backwards and forwards across the sound-hole, fading the sound. His final piece was “about how the prohibition of certain substances has made a small number of people very rich.” Again the guitar was solid throughout the track, and supported a heartfelt rant about the way things used to be and perhaps should be.

Hannah O'Reilly at OOTB 402

Hannah O'Reilly at OOTB 402

We were then treated to a track by Hannah O’Reilly called “Kill the man”. Her big voice was at once very popular and very West-End. The track sounded like it had come from an acoustic version of “Chicago”. She had an incredible control of her voice, from deep and dark to high and loud, with an incredible vibrato.

Paper Truth was next and I was glad to see him back from last week. His first song “I have to wonder” came up against a very loud bar, but he was not perturbed and played through it, beating the crowd into submission. He mentioned a new song available on his myspace: www.myspace.com/papertruth, which is well worth a listen. Introducing his second piece he asks us to “Not imagine the usual guitar solo, but imagine a keyboard solo.” He is once again very comfortable performing in front of an audience. The song appears to be about a struggle, the fast guitar emphasising a chase or toil. The chorus of “Get down” really rings true. His last piece again makes the most of his deep voice to produce strong vocals for the potent lyrics. The racing guitar manages to stay under control and the upbeat nature of his set means its over before you expect. I could certainly listen to more of this chap.

Joe at OOTB 402

Joe at OOTB 402

The penultimate act was Joe, accompanied by his friend John. The first track utilised a mic-ed up nylon acoustic guitar, a change from the standard electro-acoustics, producing a gentler tone. The lyrics were very humorous, but we must question the fact that John was reading them from a sheet. The audience seemed happy to laugh along. The second piece was similarly unprepared  but the performers were friendly and the crowd seemed willing to forgive. Their last piece started with some walking guitar on an electro-acoustic followed by a flutter from the other guitar, as they read the statement, “This is not generic”. The rhyming was hilarious and the room laughed aloud as they sang: “I ordered a drink to do some drinking. I think I had to do some thinking…I like this link ’cause I like linking.”

It was left to Felicity to close the evening as she had done last week, and there’s no-one I would rather have do it. She played the same set, but this time she had a male vocalist with her. The first song again reminded me of Martha Tilston, but Felicity was much more relaxed this week and her own unique style shone through. The plucking in the track was beautiful and the harmony of the voices was just right. Her second piece seems to be about the confusion of love and trying to unlock its secrets. The guitar work has some fantastic, folky sounds and the dual-tone of the voices is very emotive. The line: “Suzie says she loves you, and I can only love you to” is very powerful. As a solo performer Felicity’s style can certainly hold its own. This week’s set was just as good, the two-voices creating a very different sound. The final song of the night contained a strangely hopeful, fast-paced guitar line, betrayed by the haunting lyric: “We can never be together”.  The two singers overlapped lines of the chorus, to create a final, moving end.

The compère closed, thanking both the artists and the audience. “It takes us up here and you down there, to make a night.” And another brilliant night it was.

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