Musical talent contest
Southampton YMCA Open Day
September 24

       This musical talent contest at Southampton YMCA's Open Day revealed an amazing bounty of youthful creativity and energy. The contest, part of a series of events to celebrate the organisation’s 125-year link with the city, took place in a marquee behind the YMCA building. Four judges gave their verdicts after each act, but the final selection of first, second and third was really immaterial, as each act was good in its’ own way.
Hit songwriter and musician Stephen Keith, singer and record producer Barry Upton, film director Chris Barfoot and Miss Southampton, Kylie Perry, were the judges with MC Terry Eckersley introducing the acts and seeking the opinions of the panel following each performance.
First up was a young man named Spartacus who gave us some “Ghetto Gospel,” a riffy rap using backing tapes, as did most of the performers. Not being much of a rap fan myself, I was surprised how compelling this music was, due in no small degree to the way Spartacus interacted with the audience. Next up was Neil Maddock who accompanied himself on acoustic guitar to sing his own song, “Mustard Seed.” He didn’t really get the credit he deserved from the panel, though slightly nervous at the beginning, he soon got well into it and produced a fine performance of a thoughtful song.
Next, a very confident guy going under the name of Vision A rapped his way through a very clever song delivered with humour and tricky phrasing. Very original and totally mesmerising. Boy-girl rappers Black Prez and Kat-Reena were on next, singing a toned-down version of a song which seemed to be about sex or the lack of it. Performed with humour and verve to an atmospheric backing track, it was another act with great promise, particularly from Kat-Reena, whose dancing and facial expressions were quite hypnotic. I can’t remember what young Maxine sang now, but it was very soulful, well delivered, and she looked
good, though she did get some advice from the panel to make more eye contact with the audience.
The next two acts were by young ladies who both entered at the last minute, Amy singing her own song lyrics to another artist’s backing track, and Gemma Snow singing an R&B hit song acapella. Both were excellent, Amy with a strong, soulful voice, but slightly distracted by having to refer to her handwritten song lyrics, while Gemma, only sixteen, though nervous, had a voice like an angel. The show was closed by lively Bhangra band Pukaar led by Romail Gulzar a very professional outfit who were not really supposed to be competing, but got assessed by the panel anyway.
Full marks to the panel, incidentally: Stephen, knowledgeable, perceptive and encouraging, Barry authoritative, with helpful constructive criticism which was listened to intently by each act, Kylie, honest and direct and Chris, laid back and lugubrious who added some dry humour to the event. MC Terry kept things going in a relaxed but organised manner to complete an hour or two’s involving entertainment.
Just for the record, Vision A was the winner, with Gemma Snow second, and Maxine third, but as stated earlier the result did not really matter, well maybe to Vision A who carried off a trophy, but to me it was not about 1st, 2nd or 3rd. Any one of the participants in this show could go on to a career in music given the right breaks and perseverance. Very encouraging and further proof that Southampton really is Music City UK. (© Peter Ashton 2003)

Click on any of the YMCA contest photos to view a larger version

Good King Decent
Interview by Peter Ashton

        Following critical acclaim for his latest album, “A Decent Man,” singer-songwriter Michael Weston King has put together a six-piece band, suitably titled The Decent Men, to showcase his songs on a short tour. And he’s chosen Winchester’s Railway Inn for a warm-up gig on Sunday October 26.
Michael, an acknowledged leader of the Americana music genre with his
former band The Good Sons, has recruited some high quality musicians. Hampshire resident Jackie Leven who also produced the album figures in a line-up which also includes Mike Cosgrave, Steve Jackson, Kevin Foster, Alan Cook, and Lou Dalgleish. Says Michael: “Some of the songs from “A Decent Man” took on a life of their own in the studio, and since then I have not been able to recapture them for my solo shows. I plan to reign them back in for this tour, but there will still be room for some older songs, plus an obtuse cover version or two, as well one or two new songs earmarked for the next album. My band have worked with many of the great and the good over recent years including Mike Scott, Ron Sexsmith, The Charlatans and Chris Hillman.”
Michael sees the latest album as a move away from his old country Americana style. “I thought it was time to move on,” says Michael, “there’s been a huge wave, you could say a glut of alt country bands. How many times can you nod to Gram Parsons - it’s time to move on. Melody has always been the most important thing to me and there are some good catchy pop songs on “A Decent Man.” There’s no specific thread to the album, it’s a mix of lyrical daydreaming, some unromantic love songs and a few angry bitter kind of folk songs, but I think it’s the best thing I’ve done.”
After playing in a number of bands during the 1980s Michael’s inspired
country rock band The Good Sons finally brought him the attention he deserved during the 1990s. Continual tours all over the UK, Europe and the USA, three well-received albums and big turn-outs at gigs augured well, but a band defection, a catastrophic road accident in their tour bus and finally the bankruptcy of their record label led to the band’s demise in 1998.
Michael emerged from his depression to record his solo debut “God Shaped Hole,” released in October 1999, a sparse and sombre album echoing songwriting influences like Nick Drake, Nick Cave and Neil Young. Huge critical acclaim led to Michael playing a series of solo tours around Europe, as well as prestigious opening slots with Ron Sexsmith, Steve Forbert and Nick Cave.
A one-off reunion with The Good Sons in 1999 led to more gigs over the
next few years and eventually their fourth album, the perversely titled “Happiness” in 2001. Michael also played a 16-date UK tour with friends and fellow songwriters Jackie Leven and Andy White. Under the name "An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman," that year. Combined songs, stories, plus much improvisation and banter, this successful project led to further tours of Spain, Holland and Germany and another UK tour. Meanwhile, despite the critical success of The Good Sons’ “Happiness,” the band split once again after failing to attract the attention of major record labels.
Michael spent last year touring in Europe both as a solo artist and with
Mick Thomas, appearing at the first British Americana Festival in Liverpool alongside the likes of Peter Bruntnell and Bap Kennedy in August, returning to the USA for a 23-date tour in September, and playing another series of shows in Holland and Germany in October, meanwhile finding time to write songs for the new album!
Earlier this year he played some more gigs in the USA followed by a European tour in March and a 22-date UK tour in May. Not just “A Decent Man,” but a very busy man, Michael Weston King can be seen at The Railway Tavern in Winchester on Sunday October 26. Tickets are available via 01962 867795.  (©Peter Ashton 2003)

Long John Legend
Interview by Peter Ashton

       LONG JOHN Baldry, one of the godfathers of the British blues boom of the 1960s, will be employing that familiar rich, fruity voice when he heads the “British Legends of Rhythm & Blues Tour” which also stars Mungo Jerry and Zoot Money, at The Anvil in Basingstoke on Sunday night. Back in the early 60s John sang with seminal British blues bands, Alexis Korner’s Blues Incorporated and Cyril Davies R&B All Stars. When Cyril Davies died prematurely in 1964, John took over the band, rechristened them The Hoochie Coochie Men, for a while featuring his discovery Rod Stewart. John remembers playing the old Concorde Club in Southampton regularly in the mid-1960s.
“They were great days,” enthused John, “a lot of fun, though the travelling was hard. We played just about every night of the week, sometimes two or three gigs a night. We earned about £50 a gig - a hell of a lot of money in those days. I paid the band on a weekly basis; I think Rod was on £30 a week; it doesn’t sound a lot, but he saved every penny and managed to buy his first house on it.”
In July 1965 John and Rod teamed up with Brian Auger and his band, plus female vocalist Julie Driscoll, to form The Steam Packet. “The band only lasted a year,” says John, “people always think it was longer because of the impact it had. The main problem was that we could not record as we all had contracts with different record labels. Much to our chagrin, someone put out a bootleg recorded at rehearsals on a two-track Grundig. It was embarrassingly awful, but sold well though we never saw a dime out of that!”
Steam Packet gradually ran out of steam and John’s next big break was a complete accident. “Pye Records approached me in 1967,” explained John, “and teamed me up with a young songwriter called Tony McAuley who wrote a bunch of songs for me. One of them was a ballad called “Let The Heartaches Begin” which hit No 1 in the charts in November of that year. I still get royalty cheques for it once or twice a year, it’s on so many 60s compilation albums!”
The hits dried up after “Mexico” in 1968 and John relocated first to New York, then to Los Angeles. “I spent a year in each place,” says John, “and they both drove me nuts! Living in New York was like watching a film at double speed, and the fact that I never learned to drive was a hindrance in Los Angeles. I suppose I’m a Brit at heart - the pace was all far too fast in America. I moved to Vancouver, Canada in 1976 and I still feel very much at home there. It still has a very British influence to it, though most Canadians wouldn’t admit it. I rent a huge apartment above a futon store where I have a roof garden full of roses and shrubs in containers, with meditation areas and a booze-up area. I’ll never come back to the UK to live, I couldn’t afford it, everything costs about three times as much as it does in Canada,” concluded in a cultured English accent with no hint of his 27 years abroad.
Although John considers himself primarily a musician and singer, he has
made more money from voice-overs and acting roles over the last twenty years. “It’s now my main source of income,” admits John, “it’s tough earning a living as a musician, and it’s handy to have a second career. Since 1980 I’ve done loads of voice-overs for advertisements, a few acting roles in television series and films, and since the early 1990s I’ve done the voice for a “Sonic The Hedgehog” character called Robotnik - I’ve done 94 episodes of that.”
John is still glad that he gave up a career in graphic art to sing the blues. “Although I originally had a career mapped out in commercial art,” says
John, “I was singing around London in the evening. It just wasn’t working, moonlighting the way I was doing and staying up half the night. I would have eventually been a wreck so I gave up the job to sing the blues.” Singing the blues has taken John all over the world, including New Zealand, which he loves, and all over Europe. But the 6ft 7ins singer has paid the price. “I recently had a hip replacement operation,” says John, “a penalty for being tall and spending hours on planes with my legs cramped up in sardine-can seats!”
The Anvil concert is the 25th date of a gruelling 33-date tour, after which John flies back to Vancouver for a well-earned rest. Tickets are available
via 01256 844244.  (©Peter Ashton 2003)

Walter workout
Interview by Peter Ashton

        “RELENTLESS” is the title of world-class blues-rock guitarist Walter Trout’s new live CD, and relentless is the word for his touring schedule which includes a gig at The Brook in Southampton on Wednesday October the 8th.
“Yeah, the schedule is pretty insane,” admitted Walter, “21 consecutive gigs in the UK plus one in Germany. I guess I picked up my work ethic when I was with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers; “No Days Off,” the title of one of his albums sums things up. But, I’m out there to work, and when I finish this tour with my band The Radicals I get to go home for five months and be a 24-hour a day husband and father.”
Walter, born in Ocean City, New Jersey, now based in Orange County,
California, admits he was taking a chance when he decided to record fourteen brand new songs live over two nights at the 300-year old Paradiso Theatre in Amsterdam. “I know I was taking a big chance, but my wife Marie, who also manages the band, reckoned that the process of rehearsing in small bars then spending three weeks in the studio resulted in something missing from the final product.
We were going to rent a big recording studio in Los Angeles, then Elton John rented the place for a month, so we thought why not do it in our favourite club in Amsterdam. We did it over two nights in front of a live audience, but the second night had a better feel to it, so most of the tracks were mixed from that.”
“Relentless” is Walter’s 13th album and offers what fans have come to
expect from the man once ranked 6th in a BBC Radio poll of the top twenty all-time great rock guitarists behind Clapton, Hendrix, Gary Moore, Mark Knopfler and Jimmy Page. Hard driving blues-rock plus the occasional soulful ballad, all featuring Walter’s stratospheric guitar playing and powerhouse vocals. Sheer hard work and his natural talent has put Walter Trout up amongst the greats, but he came very close to throwing it all away in the early 1980s as I gently reminded him.
“I guess we’re talking about drugs and alcohol here,” remarked Walter.
“That seems so long ago - I’m so into my career and family now. I’ve been clean and sober for sixteen years, and I’ve no desire to go get loaded again, the thought doesn’t even cross my mind. I’m a strong willed Christian - I’m not gonna stick it in people’s faces and preach to them, but I have my beliefs and they come from experience. It’s not a case of giving up drinking and drugs and picking up something else in my life. My faith in God was confirmed after the birth of my second son (Walter is the proud father of three boys, aged two, seven and ten). It was a medical miracle - the doctors predicted he would never be born. At the time, my wife and I thought we can either sit around and freak out or we can pray. We prayed for three days and my son was born safe and well and is growing up fine.”
Walter served an early apprenticeship as a sideman playing with some of the greatest blues singers of all time including John Lee Hooker and Big Mama Thornton. He then honed his impeccable fretwork playing thousands of gigs during five year spells with John Mayall and Canned Heat. Since finding sobriety in 1987, then going solo in 1989, Walter has been rocking the strings of his ‘73 Fender Strat in his fiercely original style all over Europe, the UK and USA, building up a hugely respectful following in the process.
Walter plays The Brook with The Radicals on Wednesday October 8 featuring James Trapp on bass guitar, Sammy Avila on organ and backing vocals, plus Joey Pafumi on drums. Tickets are £14.50 via 02380 555366. (©Peter Ashton 2003)

        SOMETIMES you can be a victim of your own success - that’s what Hampshire Hampshire County Council’s Arts Office is finding as it puts the finishing touches to this season’s Hog The Limelight scheme. The project, which takes entertainment out to village halls, has proved so popular that bookings are up by 50% this season. "It’s a massive job," says Penny Ward who organises the bookings, "I’m just coming to the end of arranging 180 bookings at around 60 village halls, with the first performance only days away, and a detailed brochure to prepare containing all the listings."
Hog the Limelight is Hampshire County Council's commitment to giving people living in rural areas the chance to see some quality entertainment right on their doorstep. Part of a nationwide scheme, previously known as the Entertainment in Village Halls scheme, it works in partnership with local village hall and community centre committees through Penny and her colleagues in the Arts Office. They ensure that the subsidised scheme gives communities what they want to see, offering a wide choice of theatre, dance, music, humour, illustrated talks, workshops and special events for children.
"The main aim of the scheme is to take the arts into areas where it wouldn’t normally go," says Penny. " Nadine Fry, the project programmer and I put out a brochure containing a range of alternative entertainments and artists to village hall organisers in the spring of each year. They return a booking form to us telling us what they would like to see between September and April. We also run a website where artists can put their names forward, and which later lists the season’s programme."
"We deal directly with the artists when making bookings," continued Penny. "We negotiate a fee, sign a contract with them and pay them direct. Then there is the business of publicity and administration throughout the season - organising tickets and posters and so on and supplying information packs to the entertainers containing floor plans of each venue and directions telling them how to get to the rural locations. There is also a huge amount of financial administration."
The scheme began in 1982 in ten hand-picked villages around the county. Hampshire County Council was one of the forerunners, in fact only the second county council to participate in the innovative plan. "As we are now regarded as the most experienced council in the scheme, other participants constantly come to us for advice," says Penny. "The good thing about the village hall context is the intimacy and the fact that audiences are surrounded by people they know. This is especially important for children, where the shows might be their first live entertainment experience. If it’s a pantomime they often sit on mats right at the front to get a good view."
Penny gets a lot of pleasure out of her work and tries to see as many Hog The Limelight concerts around the county as she can. "I just like helping people make successful events happen," enthused Penny. "Coaching new promoters and offering advice is also rewarding. We try to use local artists and theatre companies where we can. There is a huge range of artists on this seasons’ schedule including old favourites like folk singers Julie Felix and Isla St Clair. One of the most exciting new presentations is an evening of traditional Celtic music which Matt Tarling has put together. Matt, formerly of the folk band Lunasa, has also performed with The Chieftans, Four Men and a Dog, and Stockton’s Wing, and his act has been booked for a dozen different village halls. We’ve also got a one-off tribute to the late American folk-blues singer Big Bill Broonzy taking place at Locks Heath Village Hall. It’s an original theatre piece staged by the Creative Heart Theatre - it’s always exciting to put on completely new productions. The variety of acts is greater than ever this season."
The season proper begins on October 4 and stretches right through until April of next year, giving thousands of village people something to brighten up the dark days of winter. For more information about Hog The Limelight and dates and locations of village hall concerts, see www.hogthelimelight.co.uk. (©Peter Ashton 2003)

Bhangra brothers
Article by Peter Ashton

        DON’T MISS The Angel Brothers & Satnam Singh at The Talking Heads in Southampton on Thursday October 16! A great four-piece band, whose enticing, percussive mix of Bhangra and classical Indian rhythms with Western dance grooves and Celtic folk tunes was a huge hit at the Larmer Tree Festival in July.
The band draw on many varied musical influences to create their sound.
Satnam Singh, a former member of Apache Indian, is a Bhangra music specialist who primarily plays the large and loud ceremonial 'dhol' and its smaller cousin, the 'dholak'. Satnam also plays traditional tabla with his colourful and imposing stage presence delighting and exciting audiences. Keith Angel's drum and percussion grooves interweave with these Indian rhythms often switching to the Afro/Latin percussion that combine uniquely with Satnam's complex Asian rhythmic patterns.
Guitarist Dave Angel writes the majority of the melodic material for their
live and recorded repertoire. Using acoustic and classical guitars along with the mandolin Dave provides singing phrases, sometimes juxtaposed with experimental textural patterns that perfectly counterbalance the rhythmic backdrop described earlier.
The whole sound of The Angel Brothers & Satnam Singh is underpinned by the bass skills of Andy Seward, who plays impeccable, thoughtful lines on either double bass or four- or five-string electric bass. The end result is an enticing and atmospheric concoction to prick up ears “From Punjab To Pit Top,” to quote the title of the Yorkshire-based outfit’s latest album.
Admission to the gig which starts around 9pm on October 16 is £7, £5
concessions. For further information ring Talking Heads on 02380 678446.  (©Peter Ashton 2003)

Dream warrior
Preview by Peter Ashton

        An amazing suite of music combining modern jazz, gospel, blues, and Afro-Cuban elements is the attraction at Southampton’s Turner Sims Concert Hall on Saturday October 18. “Let Freedom Ring!” featuring outstanding jazz saxophonist Denys Baptiste.
Performed by an 11-piece multicultural ensemble, is inspired by the 40th Anniversary of Dr Martin Luther King’s stirring “I Have A Dream” speech. Using the rhythmic patterns of the speech as a basis the suite has four parts: “I Have A Dream,” “With This Faith”, “Let Freedom Ring!” and “Free At Last!”
Londoner Denys began playing tenor sax at the age of fourteen, inspired by the music of Morrisey-Mullen, Charles Mingus, Count Basie and Courtney Pine. He went on to study music for two years at the West London Institute and, in 1992, was accepted onto the jazz course at London’s Guildhall School of Music.
His first break came when he became tenor saxophonist in Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop and in 1993, Denys became a member of seminal big band The Jazz Warriors. The following two years were hugely successful for Denys as he toured with Bheki Mseleku, supporting the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, Al Jarreau and Courtney Pine – and Gary Crosby’s Nu Troop. He also played in bands led by Julian Joseph, Jason Rebello, and Orphy Robinson.
Since then, Denys has recorded with artists as diverse as Jazz Jamaica,
Gregory Isaacs, Juliet Roberts, and Montage. His debut album “Be Where You Are” in 1999 won one of the UK music industry’s most coveted awards for Album Of The Year in the Technics Mercury Music Prize. In April 2000, he received The British Jazz Award for Rising Star 2000. He was married the same year, and toured internationally in Russia, Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Greece and the Caribbean, both with his own band and as a special guest with other artists. More international tours came the next year including performances in Europe, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.
September 2001 saw the release of his second album “Alternating Currents,” this time working with a larger band featuring Martin Taylor and Juliet Roberts. In November 2001, Denys made a spectacular appearance in the prestigious London Jazz Festival in the Royal Festival Hall, London, where he was double-billed with the top young US saxophonist, Joshua Redman.
Last year Denys became the proud father of his first child, a beautiful
little girl named Solana. 2002 produced another milestone when Denys was engaged by BBC Radio 3 to co-host the highly popular Saturday afternoon show, Jazz Lineup.
Tickets for the Turner Sims concert which begins at 8pm on October 18 are £14 via 02380 595151.  (©Peter Ashton 2003)

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