Mutant Lodge

Nyk started off with a set of new material, the only thing you can expect about Nyk’s songs is that you don’t know what to expect. Mr Sleaze was a bright and buzzy satire about a music night host who only opens his mouth in order to change feet. Well that’s my interpretation anyway. “Kitten in a Bong” Nyk insists is just a made up story, but it must be true because I read it in The Metro, “Ancient hippies sit around all day long, listening to Gong”… quite! The set finished with burst of frenetic weirdness with “Calypso”, a surreal moment in anybody’s life.

Peter

Peter’s set featured a harmonium and Mongolian throat singing, I promise that I’m not making this up! I’ve heard throat singing before, on paper it looks like it should be impossible as the singer generates an overtone to their own voice so that they’re singing two notes at once. It sounds a bit like a Step Phaser or some kind of high pass filter. Peter used the Harmonium as a drone note as he sang in a clear tenor voice, liberally incorporating celtic melodies and high Bel canto notes. The first two songs were about Selkies, a Scottish version of the mermaid legend in which some seals have the ability to shed their sealskins and take on the form of a beautiful human. The stories about them usually don’t end well with some poor love struck human falling in love with a Selkie when they’re walking on the land and stealing their sealskin so that they can’t ever return to the Sea. There have been a number of folk songs written about them over the years, and I’m sure Pete’s second song was based on one of them. There are some singers who can make calm descend over a room and silence an audience, Peter certainly has that enviable gift. A beautiful voice… perhaps someone to consider for a featured artist slot, the ruling junta at OOTB can ponder that one. In any case it would be a pleasure to have him back at some point

Brokentooth

So I was up next and at a bit of loss as what to follow Peter with. For the record it was:
Guns in the Desert
Hearts and Spades
Muses Song
I gave a little speech about my strange belief that music literally is Magic. We talk about music quite happily in magical terms, ie “enchanting, bewitching, evocative, spellbinding” etc In the middle ages composers were encouraged to avoid using the devils interval, a flattened fifth, because of the belief that it really did conjure up Ol’ Nick, Beelzebub, the Adversary, The Prince of Lies, Set, Satan, The Lord of this World, Lucifer himself. Not that I believe a word of that b*llocks! Oh by the way the flattened fifth became the backbone of the blues and heavy metal.

Calum Carlyle

Calum opened with “The Acid Test” which sounded slightly reminiscent of Jimmy Page’s guitar work, maybe it was just the 12 string that he was once again using to great effect. Shirat HaYam (Song at the Sea) is based on a song from the Old Testament that Calum took the brave artistic decision to learn phonetically and sing in the original Hebrew. Interestingly the song name checks Elohim, a name for God which can be translated as “Gods and Goddesses”. Well I find it interesting as it seems to suggest to me that the early Jewish people didn’t believe in a monotheistic patriarchy. On a lighter note the vocal line at the beginning, homage to “Paint It Black” at all Mr Carlyle? Calum slipped in a cheeky cover of Storyville a song by Hannah O’Reilly, you’ll hear more about her and the song later.

Ryan

Young Ryan commanded the stage next with a song called Trotsky’s Ghost, apparently about a middle management type wigging out on crystal meth and imagining that he’s being haunted by the spectre of the dead communist; in terms of theme and music it reminded me a bit of Morrissey and The Smiths, or similar intelligent literary rock. The second song was called “Destroyer” about the end of the world as we perceive it; I love it when songwriters don’t do the regular “boy meets girl saga”. Again another cover was brought to stage on this relaxed night with a version of a Joanna Newsom song. It translated very well from the original harp and squeaky voice of the original, which Ryan let me have a swift listen to when we were outside for a fag during the break. Hope to see you back down the Tron again soon, Ryan.

Nicky Carder and Calum Carlyle

This was the first time I’d seen Nicky and Calum play a set together properly. Nicky’s songs have always sounded to me like they’ve been written with a full band in mind, so it was noteworthy to hear the first stage her sound being fleshed out with more musicians. The interplay between the two guitars was a respectful dance with Calum proving to be an effective foil. Nicky seems to skirt close to a lot of potential pitfalls without actually falling in any of them. She’s got gift for strong melodies and the songs are instantly accessible, but the lyrics are intelligent and quirky enough to avoid becoming lightweight pop rock. Nicky’s got an impressive amount of raw talent (she rides a mean unicycle too; I promise I’m not making this up). It’s going to be interesting to see how her style gets further refined as she’s come an awful long way during her journeyman period with us. A little bit more diversity, with some light and shade, and exploring some different keys could perhaps broaden her appeal. Right now though it’ll be intriguing to find out how the band sound once the ground work has been fully realised.

Hannah O’Reilly

With her opening song I think Hannah pulled a first for Out of the Bedroom by playing a song that had previously been played by another act that night. “Storyville” is about EJ Bellocq a photographer from the early 1900’s based around New Orleans. After his death a portfolio of 89 relaxed and realistic sepia images of whores from the Storyville area of New Orleans, (the city’s notorious legal Red Light District and the legendary birthplace of jazz) were discovered on the original glass plates. With the song Hannah performs a trick similar to the photographs themselves, which aren’t really standard erotica, in creating something slightly melancholy and beautiful from something potentially sordid. The chorus references the unfound series of prints that Bellocq was supposed to have taken later in the opium dens of New Orleans Chinatown. “And then the opium flowed as far as we know, time stood still in 1915.” Apparently Hannah doesn’t really think of herself as a piano player, which is a little unfair as the arrangements are handsome yet understated, and slightly unconventional. Her last song, a new one for which she was still on the book, featured a weird quirk of not having the tonic chord from the key she was playing in. Eg playing in the key of G, but without a G major cropping up. HA! Told you that I’d explain the theory behind that Hannah!

Gordon

Gordon 14 April 2009

Gordon, who I think was a first time performer at the Tron, gave us a harmonically rich piece with sparse lyrics and an indie rock mumble, the guitar carrying most of the piece which segued neatly into his second song in a similar vein . I was talking to Gordon about Bob Dylan before his set; it was only his last piece, a more conventional singer-songwriter acoustic number that has anything of the Zimmerman about it. It would be good to see Gordon back again at some point, as the material certainly had potential and I’d be interested in hearing what else he can bring down to the basement bar in the Tron.

Alex

Alex and Matt split the last three songs between them, Alex was up first and sang in a rich baritone with a very slight country tinge to it. He struck me as a man who is all about the song in a very meat and potatoes, back to basics kind of a way. That’s not a criticism, just because you’ve got a simple set of bricks doesn’t mean that you can’t build something interesting out of them, in fact second song, and my favourite, wouldn’t have sounded out of place being played by the Band or some other .60s/70s luminary.

Matt

Squeezing in one song at the end, Matt in flannel shirt and baseball cap gave us the first airing of a new song, a summery yet heartfelt number which rounded off the night nicely.

Review: Jim Thomson

Compere: James Whyte

Sound: David O’Hara

Review 31/03/09

Tonight was no ordinary OOTB- as the banner across the stage proudly proclaimed to all and sundry, tonight’s OOTB was all in aid of Oxjam; this could mean only one thing: bring on the covers!

Rosie Bell – Rosie’s first is a wistful piano ballad, singing of “making a world of music”- Rosie’s lyrics are full of acute observations, and really engaging. Her second is a hilarious cover of “hallelujah”, castigating the plethora of performers who constantly murder what at heart is a great song: Rosie sings about “the critic scribbling ‘this song wrecked my night’”- quite the contrary in this case; Rosie sets the tempo for a cracking night.

Cameron and Scott (and the shaky thing from Ghana) – This duo begin with a cover of a song by Angus and Julia Stone (no, I haven’t either). It’s a real foot-tapper- the shaky thing from Ghana is certainly a sound investment. Really enjoyed the backing vocals at the finale; fine performance. Anyone could have been forgiven for expecting some sort of ZZ Top tribute on the second song given the matching black guitars; instead we get a cover of PJ Harvey (I personally breathed a sigh of relief)- another strong rendition, some tight harmonies, and neat guitar interplay on show- the duo brought a rawness to the song in its stripped down arrangement which may be lacking in the original. Good stuff!

Nicky – Nicky begins with a cover of a song by ‘Soil’ who are a really heavy rock outfit apparently. This is what a covers night is all about; Nicky really makes the song her own; it’s a different style to her original material, but the heavy rock chords provide ample background for her trademark powerhouse vocal. I can really imagine not liking this song in its original incarnation, however I thoroughly enjoyed Nicky’s rendition; perhaps not as much as our compere this evening, but I did so all the same.

Her second is just a brilliant concept: Bonnie Tyler sung as hard acoustic rock- I certainly wouldn’t have recognised this one, and with a bit of polish, this could be a cracking cover when Nicky performs it at the unsigned competition she’s in; best of luck with it Nicky! Now all together…. “I NEED A HERO!!!!”

Broken Tooth – Jim starts with a song that confirms a fear which we all subconsciously harbour…yes, ducks would given half the chance “mock your hair style, and sleep with your wife”. Definitely one very few will have heard before on tonight’s bill…ha ha. Never mind… his second is an acapella rant about “What keeps mankind alive”- this is almost a piece of acting; Jim really portrays the anger, with fine enunciation and lots of vehemently rolled ‘r’s. We saw a really different side to Broken Tooth tonight and a really entertaining one at that.

Out of the Oxjam – For the first minute or so I don’t think anyone in the band let alone the audience knew exactly what was happening- but the OOTO band gave us a fantastic country jam version of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”- it was a venerable Band Aid of OOTB stalwarts, with Broken Tooth and Cameron joining the whole jamboree on stage. The performance was infectiously jaunty- solos and dischords were added at each performer’s discretion, though kept on track towards the end by Peter, who sang the song powerfully- I particularly enjoyed the line “Please don’t put your life in the hands/ of a country western band”. A raucous romp through a britpop classic. Brilliant.

Hannah – Dusty Springfield on a ukulele; what’s not to like? I thought the arrangement on this was a really original idea; the sparse backing of the uke focused attention on vocal, whose purity and pitch gave the lyrics a real sweetness. There was even room for a whistle solo; again, what’s not to like?

Sam – I must profess something of an interest at this point because Sam begins with a cover of one of my absolute favourite artists, Ryan Adams. This was an unbelievably accurate rendition. If you closed your eyes, it pretty much could have been the man himself; Hannah’s backing vocals added a layer of authenticity to this Americana acoustic ballad “Strawberry Wine”. On his second, Sam shows great versatility in the vocal singing a Kings of Leon song (can’t remember the title), proving he can do rock as well as ballads. Another original cover, and another cracking set from two of the most exciting new acts at OOTB at the moment.

Calum Carlyle – Calum really enters into the spirit of the evening playing covers of OOTBers. He starts with crowd favourite “Gimp Boy” (originally by Nyk Stoddart)- Calum’s snarling vocal gives the song a nasty edge which was well suited to the song; as usual the audience joins in with the triumphant chorus. Next, we hear a cover of Nicky Carder- really interesting to hear this; although the arrangement was pretty similar, Calum gave a very different rendition in the vocal, less angry than Nicky’s perhaps, but it gave the song a different perspective. Calum didn’t seem too happy about his performance, but I thought it was a fine tribute to both performers.

James Bligh – I’ve not seen James play before, but I was very impressed by his skilled finger picking. Very Jose Gonzalez-esque. I particularly enjoyed his second which had a wonderfully ethereal ending. The vocal could do with a bit more confidence, as it was a bit quiet in places, but there’s no doubt the talent is there. Strong set from James, I hope to see him return soon.

I then took to the stage to play a cover of Rob Sproul Cran’s “Japan”, and “Build me up Buttercup” (not written by Rob Sproul Cran). This is what our irreverent host Mr. Calum Haddow had to say about the whole endeavour:

“Jonny Smells of win.”

One for the myspace methinks. Thanks for the fine praise Calum.

Scott – Really good to hear another poet at ootb, however this performance seemed a little rushed, perhaps because of the 10 minute slot. The material was difficult to engage with because there were scant breaks between each piece. Scott is undoubtedly a skilled poet and I would be interested to read his stuff – his material is peppered with acute observations, and there is a breadth of content on show. Next time though it would be great to hear a more ‘in depth’ set with fewer poems, which would allow the audience to really engage with the material. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to at some point.

Nyk – “Mr Sleaze” is a scathing character piece from Nyk – perhaps influenced by Calum’s snarling vocal on his cover? Interesting to see Nyk doing this different sort of material. Next though we are treated to classic Stoddart, with unfettered acoustic psychadelica. Class.

Anthony (debut) – Anthony may have been a wee bit nervous before coming on, but he delivered a confident performance. “Policeman” is a great idea for a song, with some fantastic lyrics; Anthony really paints a picture in the words, which are convincingly delivered. Unfortunately I didn’t catch the name of his second, but it begins with furious strumming, and sings of more conventional songwriter fare (broken hearts et al.); nothing wrong with that though! Anthony clearly has an ear for a catchy melody, and hopefully we shall hear some more tunes from him soon. Promising stuff.

Gerry - 21 April 2009

Gerry – Gerry’s first showcases his impressive voice, with some excellent sustained notes, over intricate hammer-ons and pull-offs on the guitar. “I’ll take my chances and run” he sings. His second “Dogs coming in” is a rockier number, with a really memorable chorus. Again the performance is committed, with another strong vocal performance. A really enjoyable set, from a clearly talented performer.

Cameron – Next up, Cameron treats us to some heart-rendering original material- he sings of dying “by your side”, silencing the audience with a desperate tale of loss. His second is a confessional piece, which lends the performance an air of authenticity, as he sings about “the trouble with the straight and narrow”. A really engaging couple of songs!

A tense bidding war ensued for the final two songs of the night (which saw £12 go to Oxjam); then clouds descended, the horseman of the apocalypse appeared, a woman fainted…Calum Haddow had taken to the stage. He performed a swing version of “New Born” by Muse. I don’t really know what else I can say. You had to be there.

Cameron (returns)! – the joint victor of the bidding war supplemented his earlier set with a fine cover of “Disco 2000” by Pulp. I had never heard this done acoustic before, but it worked really well, and had the audience gleefully singing along. A fine way to end an absolutely cracking night at OOTB!

review by Jonny Pugh

OOTB 335 – 24th March 2009

Tonight, a golden night of stars, wishes and other things maybe…With the moon, full up ahead – which seems to glow in the shifting sunset of the evening…

Rob Sproul-Cran
Robbie states that he sees stars…this is a new-old song which he sings in his characteristic high stiletto voice that aims to still the heartbeat of an amazed and expectant audience. “Frost-bitten fingers…sky wrenched asunder” adverbs Rob – which just bounces along – very much like the audience at this point.
No, i don’t know what that meant. This is a review by me remember!

Davy Watson
Sitting on the “elf-seat” surrounded by the stage – Davy deftly plays through one of me fave songs of his – “Black Light” – which is also a great title BTW – with its gloomy shifting minors and majors. He plays this song from a place deep in his heart, and has the audience spellbound.
“Try to comply…shows you blind on your side…ghosts of the past” evokes Davy as he hypnotises the audience. “I love you three” is a song that Davy gave to Spamborksee/Sparrowhawk/Spam originally a while back – and it’s fab to hear the original played by the original (?!) – i think this performance adds extra heart and powerful emotion. “Made up my mind” He sings “I left my heart outside” which he picks with flowing fingers – i hope he
plays more often at OOTB in future, as he is a class act!

Lindsay Sugden
Talking of class, What better way to celebrate a full moon than with a set from Lindsay Sugden – although bereft of the storm for tonight, she pulls out her solo set remixes.
“Promises can fade in the daylight” she sings whilst dancing, spindly chords form around the catchy melody line. This is a piece that has grown over a period of months, and fulfills it’s promise as a fascinating and atmospheric song. “On the wire” is one of her “greatest hits” you know – “Let me see your epiphany…i mean it…” she states, and i for one believe her!
“Time stands still” – Lindsay notices that often “amazing ideas fall on deaf ears” –
and that is while she reflects that “a lifetime away…where a miracle lies” – she sings this with a fragile beauty that evokes fantasies and dreams projected upon the world from a wistful heart.

Broken Tooth
Mr Broken brings out all the hits tonight – there’s no way that i can do justice to the intricate lyrics and varied musical styles this man embraces, so i’ll just witter on about haircuts and other military things…
“Hold fast” is a statement on atheism, and its many subtleties apparently – he bellows that this “ship ain’t sinking yet” whilst fast and slow bits smelt into a rising crescendo of prog. Yes. Prog. As in Prog. Rock. I say it again. Prog.
“Guns in the desert” We sold weapons to Morroco apparently, and he also mentions refugee camps – two reasons Why we should not travel there…propping up their economy and the damaged excuse for reality that is called their government.
“Borderline” an older song where he sings that “There’s no such thing as the devil” “What you know about the devil ?” he wails, along with a great central riff! The Prog blues king rulz! Yeah!

Daniel McGeever – Feature act
“It’s everywhere” Our feature act for tonight is the well respected Daniel McGeever – deceptively simple songs with lyrics like “Should have woke up…a long conversation with a good friend of mine…understanding feelings that are hard to say twice”
In “A visitor from Mars” he is discussing the images on the TV screen – he sees sci-fi through the lens of a real alien !
“On your way” has Davy Watson on harp – a travelling/driving song with the blues twist.
“In my heart” has a slow, sad harp from Davy – it tells of “trying to be myself again” “I don’t want to go home” with its images of New Orleans, Cleveland, Montreal etc. give it a rambling but interesting and kaleidoscopic quality. “What can i do” – “is it too late to change your mind ?” he asks while he weaves this into an intricate pattern including the line “I’ve got a feeling tonight that everythings gonna be alright” Next is a song that segues on from that in “Alright” – which has a bit of comping from the acquired taste that is the “Revolution 1” re-mix thing – something to be heard at any rate. “Felicity Vaughan” – A very pretty but simple love song.
An encore is requested and he plays “Everything’s coming my way…” which has jazzy, melodic chordings. A professional finish to a polished collection of songs – he has everyone glued throughout his entire set. Although not literally, as that might be very unfortunate…

Johnny
A sort of American indie – accoustic number or two. Two songs exactly the same – he states- not quite…there is the start of some interesting ideas here and hopefully he will return again with his spangly haircut and decisive chops as he obviously makes a strong impression on the audience. I must mention the hair again. “Fantastic, where DOES he get his hair done ?” says someone in the audience.

Calum Haddow
Eccentricity. Electricity. in human form. in the shape of a bat stapled to a leopard. In “Tetsio/Tesaro/Tesco” he sings that it “rains so hard the aeroplanes fell from the sky in giant drops”. class. “No name” because he didn’t want to offend Mr. Radiohead by its original title “Wolf at the door”. my fault for telling him. duh! he casually mentions that “All of my tendons torn…” and that something is “screaming at me in wolf”. Geniusmad.
“First Aid” Never has a song had such an apt title. It’s a bruised, jaunty, singalong, merciless mother of a song. Leadership training for overactive toddlers.
And that was Calum Haddow. Madness in a bottle – stapled to a gazelle.

Johnny Pugh takes over the reviewing reigns as Nyk Stoddart plugs in “Black Beauty”. Neigh!
“Indefatigable” says Rob Sproul-Cran “Gimp boy” a smile ripples across the audiences collective face as Nyk launches into his firm favourite.
Instantly recognisable from the catchy riff. Few people could say the words “Gimp Boy” to a roomful of people and still be considered something of a genius. Nyk is one of them.
“I dreamed my life away…” Psychedelic sounding intro. with chords sliding about the fretboard. This is one of Nyk’s “serious” songs (you can tell because he’s taken his Russian hat off) and it offers an effective contrast to his first song. One of the darkest I’ve heard from Nyk as he sings “I dreamed my life away”. “Bad Blues” – Davy Watson adds a real authenticity to this blues number. Underlies the vocal really well. What’s this ? Broken Tooth on the bongoes ?! A positive plethora of blues talent on show !

Thanks Johnny…(the tenners in the post BTW!) and now back to er…me…again…

Cameron
Cameron strides onto the stage, he very quickly shows that he has a good voice with an effective range. In “Won’t you save me ?” he sings plaintively of the possibility of rescue. “Try to stop” Has floating chord sequences with strumming on alternate beats. “Inside my mind” Is a more introverted tale, with his voice rising over lyrics that tell of many a night of dark introspection.

Rosscoe Galloway

Rossco Galloway and Friends 21 April 2009

Rosscoe hasn’t been to OOTB for a while…and it’s great to hear him back. An oak-seasoned pro just back from the alternate olympics, he begins with “Into the light” which shows his solid songwriter abilities. “Get Free” is a very catchy song – one of my faves – with interesting lyrics mentioning the Galapolas islands of all things – a signature song for him. Rosscoe is a songwriter and performer that writes from the heart and conveys many different meanings each time i hear him. To finish, Rosscoe does a Tica Douglas cover “Home from Home” with extra grunge – great to hear another version of this amazing song – a bittersweet finish to the night as Tica Douglas herself is now back over the pond in the U.S. – and Rosscoe does her song proud – capturing her almost-but-not-quite hip hop mellowness and mixing it in with his unique steadfast folkiness.

Now the stars go out, one by one – to the noise and the traffic of the Edinburgh streets – their paths which were entwined become difuse again, while the moon looks sagely on – as it has for a very long time – do i detect a smile from the face on the moon, between those craters and loose rocks ?

review by Nyk Stoddart