Hebden Bridge is Further Down That Road...
It would be a short
book, but the book most musicians could write – if they had the
time and a biro that worked - is "The Adventures of The Gig
Van". Oh yes, the ubiquitous Transit; the Commer/Austin/Morris
J4; Fabulous Dad's Motor; the RentAWreck and - when you had Too Much
Stuff, one of those big Mercedes things with a crash gear box.
However, The Hat does not intend to dwell on those undoubtedly
exciting tales of Pain, Crisis, Love and Misery. I know you all have
your own vivid memories. They are best kept for those long post gig
sessions at motorway cafes. There are a thousand road bands out there
with MI disaster stories. What got The Hat going was a reminder this
week of one of the most famous names in the annals of Rock and Blues
History. (You are allowed three guesses.) No? I am of course, talking
about Edwin Shirley Trucking.
The Hat was sitting
quietly nursing his pint of Timothy Taylors recently when he was
tapped on the shoulder by a rough, tough six foot familiar ghost from
His Chequered Past. Let us call him Big Patrick. He was, and still
is, a driver for Edwin Shirley. He has been round the world a dozen times,
has met everyone who is vaguely famous and has carried some of the
most valuable gear in the world. His Gig Van Adventure book would
have to come in three volumes and much of it would have to be
censored by a team of very scrupulous lawyers. They were the
international gig truckers for every major band for years and years.
They had a collectible matchbox toy, baseball hats, boxer shorts and
t-shirts. Their vehicles were psychedelic purple and yellow and far
more exciting than Eddie Stobarts. A few years ago they were taken
over by Transam and became EST. Not so Rock and Roll. Jon Bon Jovi
uses 43 trucks when on tour, The Stones need 50, of course, and there
is usually one gig set being dismantled while another is being played
and yet another being constructed. Big Patrick seems not too
disappointed that the famous 'excesses' of yore are now generally
replaced with Play Station games and itune headphones. With the Big
Players, the green rooms are full of their children and the catering
is mobile five star. And what does Patrick do in his spare time? He
drives his son's rock and blues band around the UK, lends them money,
buys them chips and listens sympathetically to their post gig
euphoria/depression as they head for home. So the Gig Van is alive
(just about) and well (just about.)
Whilst we are rockin'
n' rolling, I am still dealing with the rather surreal image of
Keith Richards breaking his arm falling off his library ladder and
then a few years later falling out of a coconut tree. Women wept and
gigs were cancelled. Setting aside the absurdist aspects of these
mishaps, The Hat wants to put in a word for those who do not have the
luxury of taking time off from their gig routine. We often forget
how difficult it is for a musician to both keep healthy and avoid
disappointing their fans by cancelling. Fighting through flu, split
fingers, splitting headaches, throat infections and personal crises
(my boyfriend just dumped me/my girlfriend has run off with a
drummer)...it is still very unusual to hear of a cancellation. The
Show really does go on.
If you are, like The
Hat, a fan of the Ben Poole Band who spectacularly topped the
Friday bill at Hebden last year, you may have watched, from a Warm
Safe Distance, their recent touring schedule. Backwards and forwards
across the country, the trio have battled snow, ice, gales and rain
to get to their gigs. From Brighton to Great Yarmouth via Cumbria –
they have turned up and done the business. Some wag suggested that
their gigs should come with a weather warning...but They Are Not
Alone. Every week hundreds of artists are doing the same. Throughout
the recent dreadful weather, bands and soloists have ploughed that
hard furrow and have Turned Up. There is never a suggestion to the
contrary. Sometimes, there is a thin turnout – oh dear, what
terrible weather – but the artist keeps on keepin' on. Another
popular Hebden band, Rabbit Foot, recently reported that a
snow-bedecked gig was one of their best ever – an audience
determined to have a good time.
And Truckin' through
the blizzards, fighting flu isn't the only seriously non-romantic
aspect of being a musician. A while ago, The Hat got the chilblains
throbbing by talking about the trials of producing a CD. For a
working artist with few resources, this is Hard Work. It is
interesting watching this in progress. Here are just two coincidental
examples of huge talents on a meteoric rise through the blues world.
Lucy Zirins, (who knocked 'em cold in Hebden last year and is
coming back to another warm welcome this year) doesn't yet have her own
personal Winnebago. She spends her spare time folding flyers, stuffing
envelopes, down-loading, uploading, videoing, telephoning,
radio-station interviews, e-mailing and generally working her socks
off to please an ever growing fan base. Oh yes – and the odd gig or
two..
On the other side of
the country, Jo Harman (headlining at Hebden this year and
heading for a packed out and rapturous reception) is doing the same
hard socks work. Everyone needs a piece of you and your music. She
too has a room full of Stuff That Has To Get Done, packages to post,
covers to sign, videos to make and all those emails and interviews to
deal with - and, by the way, there is a gig here and a gig there and
it's snowing again. To get your CD flying means long hours and a
never-ending list of basic nuts and bolts that need putting
together.. On top of all that, of course both Jo and Lucy are
supposed to stay healthy, be nice to absolutely everybody....and sing like
angels. Most of us have trouble doing any of those three things.
My friend Big Patrick
has seen some of the Big Players really close up and personal. He knows better
than most how tough that climb up the ladder can be. The Hat doesn't
expect our mega-talented Hebden stars to be calling on his Fleet
Trucking skills anytime soon, but we all know that their hard work
will pay dividends and if we reward them with our support they will
repay us by the fabulous Truckload. Get your tickets here: http://yorkshirebluesfestival.co.uk .
Pip Pip!
The Man in The Hat