OAFT......that is all

I've neglected the blog recently, not because I can't be bothered but because both Emily and I have had our hands full with MESi Radio. So here I am again, going to tell you who I think are worth watching. At the MESi Radio Launch we had a whole host of acts and a good friend of mine Johnny Graham kicked the day off with a good wee set. He was rough as a badgers arse, but quite frankly pulled it off. He has that ability to just connect with a crowd, and his interaction even though it comes across as "an arrogant wee shit" is what make Johnny Grahams set worth watching.

Up next was Baby Taylor, many times I've saw Baby Taylor and she never fails to disappoint. Apart from a couple of small slips up with the guitar her set was perfect, but to be honest, when you listen to Baby Taylor it's her voice that captivates you and not her guitar skills.

Following her was Kenneth Bowman. There's something about Kenneth that just makes you sit up and watch. It's clear that he doesn't play music for fame, or to be noticed, he plays it because he loves music, when you see someone like that it's a great feeling. His songwriting is exceptional and his vocals match it perfectly. If there's one bit of advice I could give to Kenneth it's get more confidence out when you're performing.

Next up is the first OAFT of the show..........Dougie Greig, even now almost two weeks later I'm sitting listening to his set from that day and it still sends a shiver up my spine. Dougie is from a band called Roadway (check them out www.roadwaymusic.com) and his talents are second to none. I can't even put down in words how exceptional he is, and added to that the fact that he uses a loop pedal on his vocals...it just blows you away.

Allan Trotter soon followed, a dear friend of mine and a blues player like no other. Allan always puts on a tremendous show, I've never been disappointed in his music. Today however something was missing, I don't know whether it was the uncomfortableness of being out in daylight or just that maybe I didn't have time to properly enjoy his set. He still played a blinder and put on amazing set.

Wee Kris...........Wee Kris? Wee Kris is 9! 9 years old and plays like he's 20....you have to see him to be fully aware of how good he is. Although, I've got one piece of advice for Wee Kris.........stop being late!

I'll review the bands of the day at a later date, I've got so much to say about them but so little time.
We have copies of all of the sets from that day, so they will be repeated throughout the course of time on www.mesi-radio.co.uk

Anyway I better get back to work.

The Female Showcase

Some of the best venues I've ever been in are the hidden ones. The ones in back alleys or in small villages in the middle of nowhere, the venues that not many are aware of but stumble across them by accident and then slowly but surely that venue becomes on of the places that everyone wants to play. A few months ago I had never heard of The Courtyard in Ayr until I was standing outside The Burns in Irvine and Connor from A Band Called Cadence asked me to play there. A few weeks later I played on the bill along with Taylor Buntain and Alex Duncan and instantly it became of my favourite venues to perform in. It's small and intimate but at the same time is a lively and insane place to play. Every Friday night there's a different group of musicians performing. With styles ranging from Acoustic to Hip Hop, it really is the place to go in Ayr on a Friday night. Friday the 13th of April was the turn of The Female Showcase featuring Carol Davies, Rebs Cloke, Laura Hyslop and Anna Sweeney, some of the top talent in Ayr.

First up was Anna Sweeney, a 17 year old performer who sings with the heart and passion of someone much older. I've been privilaged to see Anna perform on numerous occasions, it's one of the perks of being involved in the Ayrshire music scene. Her songwriting is second to none and her voice is so gentle but so powerful at the same time. Tonight she showed up crutches with a sore throat, but she battled through it to give her performance. The beginning of her set provided a few technical difficulties but like a true pro she battled on and you could hear the hint of her sore throat in her vocals, but (unlike most performers) a sore throat actually sounded good. It added that huskiness to her voice that I think is what alot of singers need, she pulled it out the bag with a winning performance. Anna without doubt is a singer/songwriter who has a huge future ahead of her.

Laura Hyslop is an American superstar in my eyes. You know those musicians you see in pubs and you instantly think to yourself that they belong on a larger stage with a massive audience? Well Laura is definitely one of those musicians. It's her voice that instantly attracts you, it's so powerful and emotional that you can't tear yourself away, even for a moment. 

Up next was Rebs Cloke, I'm not going to lie, the first time I ever saw Rebs perform I wasn't keen. It was nothing bad, I just didn't like the style of music but the more and more I've saw her perform the more and more I've fallen in love with her music. When I saw her this time I was in awe, her vocals were amazing and pitch perfect and her songs are written so brilliantly, I struggle to believe it's the same Rebs Cloke I saw a few months ago.

Carol Davies was the host of the evening and performed at various points throughout the night, although her partner Mark was not on hand to accompany her as usual, she still performed at a very high standard. If I could tell anyone where to go in Ayr for music advice and direction, then I would direct you to Carol, she loves her music and she is one of the few who actually can give you good advice. She's a well rounded performer who interacts with any crowd and makes them pay attention, when her voice hits out those first few notes your captivated by what you're hearing. One of the true stars of the Ayrshire scene.

MESi Radio Launch Night

Normally I have a blog up every couple of days about a live act I've witnessed, but alas the last week has been so busy for me I've not managed to get along to any events. For those of you who don't know, on Sunday the 15th myself and Emily will be launching MESi Radio. A new station with a view on the world, we will be promoting up and coming artists from all around the world. Originally we were just going to be based in Scotland, but since we launched the website we have had acts from as far away as China getting in touch. I know China? It's insane right? 

The Launch is looking great, it was originally supposed to start at 9pm and have 3 or 4 acts however due to the massive amount of interest and the over excitement of the people booking the event it has now turned into an all day festival, a fitting start to MESi Radio and a tremendous send off to Amanda who leaves the Flask that day. There's some astounding acts booked for the night and it really is going to showcase some of the best of Scotlands musical talent.

Along with the acts playing, there will be some great acts coming along to do some interviews including the amazing Audiodriver.
On top of that we have personally invited Glasvegas to come along, and so fingers crossed that they accept the invite, they were kind enough to give us permission to use them as one of our featured artists on the site.

On the bill for the launch are The Standards who are an outstanding band and I can't wait to see them live, there is a previous blog on here reviewing their ep. A Band Called Cadence who are very good friends of mine, and can liven up any room, as many times as I see them live I never get tired of it. Johnny Graham, another great friend of mine, who I've basically had to force into this because he runs his own event on a Sunday night. Kenneth Bowman, a solo artist who I had along at Garfields on the first night and who's song writing ability is second to none. The Detours, do I even need to go into detail about The Detours? If I do, then I kindly direct you to my previous blog about them. Taylor Buntain, one of the most talented guitarists I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. Along with a whole other host of great performers. It's going to be one of those days that you'll regret it if you don't get along.

www.mesi-radio.co.uk

Allan Trotter - Minor Deliah - Amanda Robinson @The Flask

My favourite reason for going to The Flask is that you never know what kind of musicians going to see. It's like a bag of Revels, you're taking a chance because although there's loads that you do like, but there's always that odd one that makes you pull that disgusted face. I've been lucky enough now to have two weeks in a row where I've managed to skip that Coffee flavoured chocolate out of the bag. As ordered, I got my guitar ready last night and headed down to The Flask for the chance to support Minor Delilah.

I got a message from a good friend of mine and fellow musician yesterday Allan Trotter, he informed me that he was going to come down to The Flask and watch me play, we got talking and I put him in touch with Amanda because he wanted to perform himself. Luckily Amanda isn't hard faced and allowed him that chance, and I think everyone in the building was glad of the fact.

After I had performed my little set and promoted MESi Radio (there's no promotion like shameless self promotion) Allan took to the stage. I'm getting into this really bad habit of missing performers first songs if they're on stage directly after me, but at least it's only one song right? I've saw Allan play a few times, but always on Acoustic and always as part of the band "The Triggers" so it was a nice change to see him pull out the old electric and go solo. It's very rare these days that you can walk into a venue and hear the blues being played, never mind being played with such accuracy and skill. The only other person that springs to mind, when thinking about that standard of playing the blues is Tragic O'Hara. Allan belts out the blues like he invented them and sitting watching him, you can (just for that moment in time) imagine that he did. He makes it look so easy, and if I was asked about it, I would have no issues declaring that Allan is one of the most talented guitarists that I know. What made Allan's set just that little bit more exciting was when Minor Delilah joined him on stage for a "Jam" it was unexpected and you could be tricked into believing that this impromptu session was planned and rehearsed. It was one of the best moments that Sunday Band Nights at The Flask ever had.

Next up was the headline acts, Minor Delilah. Now here's a band that I've been trying to pin down for a couple of months. There was no question where I was going last night, even if I wasn't performing. The group unfortunately were a man down last night, however it caused no disruption to their sound. The group are so dynamic and have that stage persona that not many people can pull off. I remember saying to Emily that they remind me of a "Glaswegian A Band Called Cadence" they have the cheekiness and humour that even if the music they were playing wasn't that good, you would be distracted by their banter and wouldn't even notice. It's just great that they have the musical talent aswell. The band are a tight band with a sound thats hard to place down, It's been going through my mind that the group are a mash up of Panic! at the Disco and The Fray. Then there was that moment when the singer picked up an acoustic and asked for requests, he started playing "Basket Case" by Greenday and forgot the lyrics (like he said he would) and then our wee Amanda got up to take over the reigns. I know Amanda doesn't want a review, but you know what I'm going to give her one anyway. I always had this stereotypical image that the Irish were the best singers, and it's not been proved wrong yet. Yes ok Amanda's not a singer, but she done a great job with the song, it's hard to tell if she was nervous or if she was just enjoying the buzz. It was just one of those nights at The Flask where if you weren't there you lost out. It's a shame that Amanda's leaving, because the band nights have been brilliant, and if they continue then they won't be the same. Last night was a fitting end to her run, and the next band night is on the 15th of April, Amanda's leaving do AND the MESi Radio launch party. You'll never know what you missed at The Flask, and it's a shame because it was THE place to be on  a Sunday night. 

Tully Does It Best

In the small seaside town ardrossan lies a small but atmospheric Tapas bar. Every Saturday night Garfields brings together what I would describe as a Spanish atmosphere and some of Scotlands finest musicians for a night of good music and good laughs. I've been hosting Garfields for 4 weeks now and each week is getting busier and better.

This weeks featured Artist was a man who I've been aching to see live since I was introduced to his music by a friend of mine. So trying to get Tim along to perform was a no brainer.

After the usual hosting duties that I am somewhat obliged to do, I handed the coveted Garfields Stage over to Mr Tim Tully. I'll admit that I'm a bad person and missed his first song. I settled down however in time for his second piece of music and right through to the end of his set. When I first heard his guitaring start I saw that this man a talented guitarist, he commands such a delicate but loud sound from the 6 string, hollow item of wood and glory.

Its when his vocals begin that everything really begins to take shape. Tim's voice is just that damn good, I've been sitting for hours trying to figure out a way to describe it in words and this is what I've came up with. Tim has the voice of an angel who's just stumbled out of bed, it's the perfect blend of soulful and rawness that makes him such a talented performer. I was eagerly anticipating his song 'Baby Girl" and was not disappointed when he delivered. Here is a performer who loves the music and who clearly enjoys the buzz of performing to a live audience as he kept wanting to play more and more music and not surprisingly nobody objected. Throw together Dylan, Cash, The Script and Sheeran and you get Tully, an odd combination that shouldn't work but just does. Tim has a very bright and prosperous career ahead of him, and anyone who doesn't make the effort to see him live will regret it.

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