Talking the blues....

Lights, camera...beer...

To borrow the vernacular of the London cabbie, The Hat had that Paddy Maguire and that Jason Elliott on his sofa the other week. It was a rare opportunity to get them both together and find out more about the driving forces behind the Hebden Bridge Blues Festival, what makes them tick, their history, their aspirations for the festival and their plans for next year.

In his director's chair, The Hat tempted them with a beer and prodded them to talk. It wasn't difficult. In this delightful and candid chat, the Hat didn't find out their favourite colours or their lucky numbers (oops, sorry!) but a lot more interesting stuff did emerge. It'll take half an hour of your time, so pull up a chair and a small glass and enjoy the craic....

Pip Pip!

The Man in the Hat.

P.S Don't forget you can see the day reviews of this year's festival right here on this blog.

Do you know My Boyfriend Is A Genius in at least Twelve Bars....

Two Years And Counting

I was having a desultory conversation the other day with a colleague who was putting together his first CD. He readily agreed that 'desultory' might also be the appropriate word for the making of the CD as well, since its many meanings do seem to embrace the whole process - from rambling to haphazard via lacking in a definite plan or purpose. He had been working on his project for two years and was moving really really fast. Like all first CDs, it is sure to be incredibly brilliant, original and ground-breaking.

The Hat has seen this long three act drama close up on a number of occasions and it is not a pretty sight. The Creative Process does of course have something of a reputation for being painful - I painted this picture/wrote this play/penned this lyric after trying to kill my lover; long winded - did someone mention Brian Wilson; disruptive - check out Pete Frame's Rock Family Trees and try and count the battered relationships; and occasionally terminal - fill in the gap. Happily none of this has stopped the more determined from trying to get their talent published to a wider audience. The mechanics of getting something recorded these days are light years from the plastic and acetate days of yore - and while we are on the subject, is it still a prerequisite to record in your bathroom like Joe Meek or in your bedroom with your mother shouting from downstairs? I can name a few for whom this worked quite well.

Nevertheless, some things never change. For a solo artist, this can still be a long, lonely and difficult process despite the wonders of digital equipment but once you are in a band the self-doubts and daft arguments can escalate. Putting aside the provision of the material and crikey, is that a big put-aside, let's get straight to what to include. First, the Hat has pinpointed the 'Partner' problem, He/she thinks you can do no wrong, your lyrics are inspired, your playing is awesome and your mates don't appreciate your talents. Your bandmates beg to differ and besides the bass man has better lyrics and your partner sings out of tune. Trouble Ahead. Then there is what we shall call the 'Interesting Theme' argument, which can last for ever. Is ten tracks about suffering and pain a tad too many? On the other hand will the singer going on about undying love for seven minutes and thirty seconds induce an urgent need to take the cat for a walk? Why don't we go all Surreal and write, sing and play really deep stuff about the cosmos that no-one understands? Why is his solo so long anyway? Hey, wait a minute, it's all been done before, surely...Stand By For Friction. It is easy to understand how several years of your life can slip by whilst you wrestle with these career-changing problems -occasionally having to get up and go to work at the same time. If you check out your local vinyl shop you can't help but notice the three feet run of 'prog rock' LPs where the average track is four months long and probably involved several divorces and a number of court cases.....and we haven't even mentioned the fight over the design for the sleeve or who writes the cheques....

Of course it's not essential to suffer for your art, notwithstanding the vast industry of learned blues books on the subject. On the contrary. it's quite all right to be in love with the lead singer and perfectly acceptable to laugh a lot and not fight with your bandmates. Indeed the Hat has been in many a recording studio where the 'having a good time' buzz got infectiously recorded to great advantage - despite upsetting the engineer and his carefully laid plans. It certainly shows through on the tracks.

None of this should detract from the stunning high of the live performance. Many of the brilliant acts who are lined up to play at the 2012 Hebden Bridge Blues Festival have already struggled through that long and tortuous first Cd process. However, the Hat knows that some of the others right now are grappling with it as we speak. But - my bet is that if you cornered any of them, they would, without exception, forego all the pain, arguments and sales simply to stand on a stage in front of a big appreciative audience and do their thing. The very least we can do is go along and support them this June - and of course buy their CD - just in case they've managed to get one together.

Pip Pip!

The Man in the Hat.

After Midnight with Respect

I've always liked the story of how Peter Green 'gave' his 1959 Les Paul to Gary Moore in exchange for whatever Moore managed to sell his own guitar for and then some twenty five years later Moore recorded his tribute CD 'Blues For Greeny' using the very same guitar.

This says so much about the blues. It has everything. It's certainly not about the money – that's for sure. The guitar itself is loved with an unmatched intensity - think of the many Lucilles and all those other battered, blow-torched,stickered and paint sprayed gems still being lovingly carried around from gig to gig for years and years. Then there is the mutual respect amongst the musicians, young, old, male, female – always totally unaffected - remember the likes of Clapton and Jeff Beck hanging around the Bag o' Nails in Soho just to watch some young guy call Jimmi Hendrix use blues licks they'd never seen before and Keith Richard going quietly mad trying to play in the same invented key as his hero Chuck Berry. Respect is unashamed and everywhere, Even heroes have heroes. You seldom stumble over rancour at a gig – even if God is sitting in the audience.

For the Hat, that says much about the essence and the great delight and magic of the Blues Festival tradition. It is that glorious opportunity to put all those ingredients in to one place and one melting pot at the same time. You can dash hither and thither, rub shoulders with your heroes, trade chops, drop your jaw in awe – and sometimes you even get a smart T-shirt as well. Occasionally random and chaotic, sometimes divine serendipity and sometimes, if it all falls into place, you get that talk-about moment to tell later to anyone who'll listen.

Appropriately, at the Hebden Festival this year, some of the best moments were definitely the most chaotic and they were at the brilliant packed out Midnight Jam Sessions. As I supped my glass of best in a dark corner, it was a joy to watch the stage simply over-flowing with all the day's talent in one place, under the kindly eye of Paddy Maguire, bursting with fun, flair and flash – and there was not a single diva in sight. Everyone had a ball and the audience went barmy. The first Hebden Bridge Blues Festival got that absolutely right. Respect, talent, love and fun and you get to take away a small but precious piece of the blues.

The second festival dates have been fixed for next year, the line up is being sorted and venues ear-marked. I know that you really want to hear that on one of my stealth deep cover sorties into the bunker, I happened to learn that Paddy's Midnight Jam Sessions are coming back. I do hope they are not going to be 'new and improved'. We liked them just the way they were....and the T-shirt's not bad either. Now what did I do with that Les Paul copy of a copy that I picked up cheap somewhere...?

Pip Pip!

The Man in The Hat

Don't Start Me Talkin'...

So. The dates for next year's mighty Festival are fixed.

We had to make way for the Queen (the Jubilee knees-up not the band) - even bluesmen can be pragmatic and practical when needs must - and now we are all set up for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of June 2012. This wasn't a difficult decision as neither Jason nor Paddy fancied taking on the monarchy when it came to getting tickets sold.

Then there was the small matter of the venues. The Picture House stays and the Trades Club goes...don't even think about asking.....we will be here all day... The small 'juke joint' gigs will still be around showcasing individual talent but the great find for next year is the b@rplace. This is a central venue run by the smart, wise and incredibly sensible Ailsa, who for the last year has been turning the place into a brilliant music bar. An added attraction for some will surely be the boutique hotel on-site accommodation. With some suites called Indulgence and Lush, I just can't bring myself to say more - just check out their website.

This terrific environment is surely set to become the hub of the action every day next June. Think of it as a Meeting of Minds bar. This is the place the like minds will talk of cabbages and kings and possibly pentatonic scales. Maybe we will have a special Festival beer to sample (of course, I am personally checking this one out). We are looking at using their wall monitors for info and some video stuff and, who knows, if the techno folk can unravel the wires and locate a translator who will tell us what they are on about, we may even do some live streaming. This place has such a good vibe that I am considering having a small chaise-longue in one corner where I will dispense gossip, cheap plectrums and the occasional mot-juste in exchange for a glass or two.

Word is reaching me of hot headliners already. Veiled threats have sealed the Hat's lips but trust me, this is looking good. Pricing and booking arrangements are still under discussion but the importance of keeping these keen and simple remains paramount. Rest assured, this team never lose sight of the need to entertain and make sure the musicians and the visitors have a cracking time.

The massive positive feed-back from the first HBBF was overwhelming with wonderful noises coming from fans and talent alike. That's why the decision to have another one only took one cigarette and one pint...ok, I'm joking....but you can tell if something's going ok when there is a steady stream of blues musicians knocking politely (and not so politely) on the door looking for a spot next year. Much of the success, however enjoyable, was down to the hard work and dedication of a small but barking mad crew of characters and their determination to succeed whilst having a rather good time. I am happy to report that outrageous offers of unlimited praise and grateful thanks look like paying dividends and they will be back for more next June.

Meanwhile, keep your blues eyes open for a taster gig on Friday 2nd December at the b@rplace where the affable Paddy Maguire will be rolling out a preview one night only session introducing some of the talent we may see next June.

See you there.

Pip pip!

The Man In The Hat