Acoustic Night

By Mark Gartside Our MC, Julian Ramsey wade, introduced the evening with a poem exploring themes of Capitalism, Modern Life and Global Warming, decreeing the warning that ‘Time is running out,’ emphasised by the repeating motif of ‘tick-tock, tick-tock’. The poem ended with the assurance, however, that there is love, which I personally found very reassuring

The opening performer of the evening was Helen Gregory (myspace.com/helenfionagregory), whose first poem was called ‘Treading Gingerly’. It was dedicated to ’spoon-licker’ celebrity-chef Nigella Lawson, and featured such puns as “condiments will get you everywhere”. Other lines which stood out were references to a “saucy, spiced-up tart”, and the exclamation to “eat your heart out Nigella!”

Helen then went on to pronounce that she was ‘in love’ at the moment, which was proving to be a veritable wasteland for producing poetry. In her poem ‘Touch Paper’ the line which stood out for me was, “I’m the metal plate in your microwave”, which reminded me of a student Christmas party I once went to where someone tried to heat up mince-pies in their foils in the microwave.

Second came my dearly beloved (we just celebrated our four-year anniversary last week! - I know, makes you sick, doesn’t it) Karl Stewart. Karl and I played at Acoustic Night once before, maybe six months ago now, when we lugged along our ludicrously heavy and bulky electric-piano. We recently purchased a light-weight Casio ‘piano-style’ keyboard, but it still managed to present a few technical hiccoughs of its own.

Karl began with a touching song based on the words of Martin Luther King “let the peace begin with us”, and then moved away from the keyboard to perform a poem called ‘The Hall of Mirrors’, which he delivered with vigour and gusto!

After which, to save setting up the keyboard twice, I took the stage, to play two of my most recently penned songs for piano and voice, airing them for the first time in public. The first was called ‘The Constancy of Affection’, and the second ‘The Almighty Deity’.

MARK GARTSIDE
I also took the opportunity to shamelessly plug my course, which I’m facilitating at the Folk House on Park Street (where I also work full-time in the office). It’s called ‘Singer-Songwriting from the Spirit’, and it starts on Thursday 1st November from 5:15 – 7:15, and runs for 6 weeks, with a showcase concert in the Folk House Café/Bar on the evening of the last class. It’s a chance for Singer-Songwriters to get together, exchange ideas and processes, and through workshop-style exercises, really get to the heart of what we want to communicate through our songs (see I also took the opportunity to shamelessly plug my course, which I’m facilitating at the Folk House on Park Street (where I also work full-time in the office). It’s called ‘Singer-Songwriting from the Spirit’, and it starts on Thursday 1st November from 5:15 – 7:15, and runs for 6 weeks, with a showcase concert in the Folk House Café/Bar on the evening of the last class. It’s a chance for Singer-Songwriters to get together, exchange ideas and processes, and through workshop-style exercises, really get to the heart of what we want to communicate through our songs (see www.bristolfolkhouse.co.uk, email admin@bristolfolkhouse.co.uk or call 0117 9262987 for more details or see myspace/mgartside).

The next act was a poet called David Johnson, whose poem reminded us of all the horrible things that are going on in the world. He posed the question “whose doom is the doomier?” before going onto pronounce “my doom makes Armageddon look like a picnic spread in heaven” and “our doom makes Satan’s fire / seem like a blast from a doll’s hair-drier” – sentiments much appreciated.

Gina Briganti was a poet/singer/rapper without a band. Unhindered, however, she performed ‘Liminal G’ with soulful fervour, declaring that she was “Liminal G and that’s that!”was a poet/singer/rapper without a band. Unhindered, however, she performed ‘Liminal G’ with soulful fervour, declaring that she was “Liminal G and that’s that!”She then sang a song about the slave trade, dedicated to the Bristol Merchant Venturers, called ‘Do I Know’. The line “may they rest in peace” had a tinge of irony about it, and the statements “money had no soul” and “Cabot Circus looks like 9/11 in reverse” packed quite a punch!

GINA BRIGANTI

We were then disappointed to hear that John Terry, who has signed up at the beginning of the evening, had since buggered off home. It was much agreed upon that he would be missed.

Phil Baber, dressed in all in black with very snazzy black leather trousers, then took the stage with his guitar. Yorlanda, sitting at the back of the room, had requested him to play ‘Amsterdam’ but he forgot the chords as he was just getting into it! He then proceeded to play a song with a Polish title, I think, which I didn’t even attempt to write down. It was very evocative, and although it went into a foreign language half way through, I feel I still got the sense of it. My dear Karl, ever the erudite, belched loudly half way through, and he was flattered that Phil was able to incorporate this improvisation into the lyrics of the song.

Next, all the way from Brooklyn, New York, we had the poetic stylings of Jive Poetic. Looking out to the hushed audience he commented that “when it’s this quiet in Brooklyn somebody usually robs you”. His first poem was inspired by watching American adverts on TV in Germany, repeating the ironic legend that “the outside world is not American enough”. Sadly, perhaps, I was familiar with nearly all his references to American TV and pop culture, symptomatic of my mis-spent youth lying in front of the TV.

JIVE POETIC
He then introduced a new poem, which he had never performed in public before, save for the people who might have heard him muttering it as he was walking along the street. It took us back to the popular music of the early 1990s, which his students, it seems, now imagine as belonging to some sort of pre-history.

He was subsequently applauded back to the stage for an encore, dedicated to his “future ex-girlfriend” – (he breaks up in advance now). “Without a learner’s permit she proceeded to drive me crazy” he informed us.

The second half began with a rap-poem from our MC, which merged into the famous proclamation “it’s like a jungle sometimes, it makes me wonder how I keep from going under” (source?) Grandmaster Flash.

Then it was time for the Featured Artist of the night – all the way from Australia via Austin, Texas – it was Thom the World Poet. Looking dashing in a Captain’s hat, tie-dyed rainbow coloured trousers and t-shirt, with a flowery shirt, he performed for us two poems with atmospheric background guitar provided by Tony from Wales.

THOM THE WORLD POET AND TONY

The references came fast and furious, as he proceeded to toss away his layers of books as he went along (you had to be there to understand the full context and impact of this). Lines which I managed to catch included “cat wisdom – have one’s master serve you” from the first poem, and “Chinese mountain – American mining company”, “oh Margaret Thatcher” and “what we are is what we chose to believe” from the second.

Then in a change to the schedule, to which we all adapted quite robustly, Tony from Wales played guitar and harmonica, singing the song ‘Ain’t No Soul In This City’, with the compelling citation “come and grab your case, ‘cause we’ve gotta get away from this place”.

James Bunting then introduced us to his Irish Bazouki, informing us that his first song has a sell-by date, because it included the line “I’m only 18 years old” – a statement, which soon would no longer be true. It was entitled ‘Affairs’ and his voice resounded clear and bell-like. This was then followed by a “Geordie Folk Song” called ‘Romeo and Juliet’.

Daniel was the first of the evening’s Acoustic Night Virgins. He performed a poem called ‘Park Bench’ a short prose poem, based upon a snap-shot of a lonely park bench – very poignant and moving. He then proceeded to improvise a poem to which he gave the title ‘The Stone Man’, inspired by seeing a homeless man sitting on a bridge. “He has the same dreams we have” and “labels – to abolish the labels and go from one human being to another; that is compassion, that is love and that is life”, were just some of the wise pronouncements, which he proffered to us.

Dave, the second Acoustic Night Virgin of the evening, with his guitar, sang a song called ‘Brothers’ dedicated to all the soldiers fighting at the moment, which conveyed the strong message “I’ll be dead before you put a gun in my brother’s hand”. He then segued fittingly into a song about Sailors.

DAVE

Ian Sills is a poet who grew up not feeling like a typical boy, as he described to us in his poem ‘A Boy Apart’. In reference to the other boys he exclaimed, “girls I was sure would find them immature hated me and loved them to bits!”

In his second poem ‘I’m Sorry Marshall’, he apologised to eminent rapper Eminem for being one of his biggest fans – feeling that although this might pain the star, the felt at last he had to come out as a closet fan of dear Marshall.

Helen then delighted us renditions of ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ and Joni Mitchell’s classic ‘A Case Of You’. Her light, delicate Soprano floated warmly across the room – it was angelic and made me feel a bit Christmassy.

Our penultimate act was Rupert Hopkins, who plugged two plays, which he’s putting on at Circomedia on the 18th, 19th & 20th October. The plays feature actors, musicians and dancers from the St Paul’s area, and are directed by a student from the Bristol Uni Drama Department. He then proceeded to entertain us all with his lovely Saxophone playing.

Thom the World Poet rounded off events, with a poem that referenced miners in the North, begging the question “what else was there to do but work”, recalling “that nightmare foisted by Thatcher”.

All in all, a very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

ACOUSTIC NIGHT STATS

Audience a few, performers 18, (I think, count ‘em) AN Virgins 2, new bloggist 1, thanks Mark, new blogg editor, phew.

Photos to follow soon, I promise.