norway in may

elisabeth labdon inside vaktbua kristiansand

I have to to thank a great number of folk for their generous and warm hospitality during and after the Norway shows. If I miss any one out during this post I apologise for the omission. I have had some IT problems and have lost some data.

Thank you to Karen Valeur in Kristiansand for being a wonderful host. Some one who enjoys the odd late night putting the world to rights into the early hours.

One special evening Karen and I had a yolk session and I decided I must record her wonderful deep vocal expressions, so that is a job for the future. We had a great time and I am certain we shall meet again. 

yours truly playing electronic drums with my new mates at happy days

Karen works in a project called HAPPY DAYS in Kristiansand and it is a happy place. The members make a variety of artistic products including jewellery from scrap materials and exquisite hand made cards and as you can see below they have a music group. They make a great noise and I felt right at home. They persuaded me to play drums. I haven't sat at a drum kit for years but I had a ball, even though I dropped a stick a couple of times to every ones amusement.

We ran through a bunch of well known pop songs and an original song written by and for the group with a local musician. This a well resourced project and one which I would like to see more of in the UK. 

and yoiking

The group knew I am a singer so they asked me to sing a song. Well. I made a feeble excuse about not having my guitar with me but they were not having that. Finally I agreed to sing and improvised a joik. I got quite lost in that and I think folk were pleasantly surprised by the foreigner with northern Norway tendencies ha ha! It was a lovely afternoon with a coffee and cake at the end. I loved the whole experience. I want to go back to play guitar with them and just generally join in.

soundcheck at vaktbua kristiansand

Vaktbua is a little club on the side of a hill on a small rocky island with a road bridge that connects it to the town of Kristiansand. The island is a hot spot for seeing UFO's according to local testimony. I have played Kristiansand on four or five occasions but this was the first with out the EBB.

The sound check was a delight. Kjell Sørgaard who ran the sound system had already sound checked every thing so I just sat and played a few songs while he adjusted things. He had found me a lovely American acoustic guitar amp and had gone to considerable lengths to make it all good. Perfect! A proper professional.

the gig

The evening before the gig we had the pleasure of seeing the art works of local artist Alf Solbakken on display at Vaktbua. It was very impressive. Surreal collage made of all sorts of Photo Shop processed images and then many coats of varnish to create layers of great depth. 
Alf is also a field recordist as well as a photo / graphic artist and made a great job of recording the gig. The evening of the Art Exhibition opening was a good chance to meet the local community and what a fabulously mixed bunch they were. Elisabeth Labdon who runs Vaktbua, with the help of her husband and son and a crew of proper community minded people, is a little power pack. This a wonderful little venue run with love and skill and I hope it prospers. 

On the following evening I thoroughly enjoyed the gig at Vaktbua. The audience endured a down pour before the gig and some rain fell during the performance. Umbrellas came out and we soldiered on. Of course I was dry under an awning though the rain was falling near me by the end. I played every thing I knew and played for about two and half hours. I chatted quite a lot, as I do, and I am still always surprised by two things. First how much of the English language is understood in Norway and how important lyrics are to my Norwegian audience. I couldn't have asked for more from any audience and by the end of the gig I was a very happy minstrel. The kindness of every one was exemplified by two friends of Karen Valeur who just offered to drive to Larvik so I could be delivered to Gry Nielsen who is a Larvik Vinyl Club organiser and host for the next episode. We had a little picnic on the way and the scenery was beautiful in the sunshine.

view from gry and thea's house

Above is the view of the fjord that leads out into the sea to the (south) to the right of the photo. Out of the mouth of the fjord the sea separates Norway from Denmark. Gry's house is lovely in surroundings which are quite magical. The first thing you notice about the area, as well as much of Norway, is the space people have and the boats, every where. For a man like me being always by water is a dream come true. I did catch a couple of little fish just below the tree that looks like a large bonsai tree on the slope in the middle of the photo. 
As I turned to leave my fishing spot a young deer stood watching me and then disappeared in the trees. Magic!

live at the vinyl club larvik

On the day of the gig. I met up with the members of The Larvik Vinyl Club at a barbecue in a garden near the venue. Terje flipped burgers and made us all welcome in the garden. Later he would provide all sorts of goodies after the show when I would be taking a brandy or three.

After chatting with the assembled folk and enjoying the warm hospitality I made my way the with Sven Petter down the track to his venue in the woods.The venue is a large hut in a wood. Inside is a revelation. At the rear are cinema seats. A projector is evident for film shows. Along one wall is a collection of some very nice guitars. At the stage end a PA mixer sits along with monitor speakers and all the technical goodies I could hope for. The owner of the venue Sven is rightly, very proud of his place and had made sure every thing was as I needed it to be. He had even got a vocal setting for me with what I call my "little chapel" reverb.

As in Kristiansand I played a long set and it all went very well. My audience was very receptive as I have come to expect in Norway. Job done! All good!

phallic statue on the beach of viking graves

Following the gig a tour was arranged of local Viking sites. Our driver was Hans Gunnar who was not only a very good driver but a very interesting companion as was his friend Ragnar ( The Viking), our guide for the day. Ragnar spent the whole day telling us about the Viking sites we visited and telling great stories about the Viking people who lived in this part of Norway. I have always been fascinated by the Vikings and their history, especially the links to Britain and British history. I could write reams about what Ragnar told us but let the following story suffice......... 

viking grave larvik 

....... A viking prisoner was about to be beheaded before a King. All was ready. The axe man waited for the order from his King. The prisoner spoke. he asked that when he bent his head forward, some one might sit before him holding his long fair hair so that it would not be soaked with blood. The king motioned for some one to take his hair and hold it away from his bowed head. As the axe fell the prisoner pulled back and the man holding his hair had both his hands cut off by the axeman. The king laughed and freed the prisoner saying that it was the funniest thing he had seen for ages. Humour has changed a little bit then!

small viking ship grave

In a viking grave near here a man was found holding his own head in his hands.

During the day Ragnar showed us a standing stone in a field near a main road. It was said than when a certain king died the four regions of Norway wanted him buried in their territory so they cut him into four parts and one part is buried under the standing stone according to legend.

large viking ship grave

The lake below is a special venue for me. Ragnar and Egil took me here, in the mountains to fish. Egil has a wonderful traditional cabin in the woods. It is decorated in the old Norwegian style with lots of painted wood articles in a style that reminds me of the painted art objects on UK canal barges. We drank some ice cold water from Egil's well and walked a while down to the lakeside. Egil has a rowing boat and that was to be our transport on the lake. We tackled up and Egil very kindly attached a small Yo Zuri lure to my trace and we piled into the boat. As we pushed off and Egil rowed away from the shore line I cast the little silver lure behind the boat. I let it sink for a while and then gave it a little twitch. My road bent over and I had a fish on the end of my line. Soon the fish appeared on the surface of the icy clear water and I had caught my first wild brown trout. Thank you Ragnar for the loan of the little trout rod. 

We let the boat lie against the opposite shore and we all fished there for some time. Egil caught two more trout and then after a beer we headed back to the mooring. I was so chuffed with my trout and was looking forward to dinner when I would eat it. It was a special boys day out. Three men in a boat. More perfection for yours truly and a day I will always remember. I have an invite to go back to stay in Egil's cabin so I think it is very likely I will, at some time. 

That evening a bunch of us dined with Ragnar and Wenche in their garden. What a splendid evening with good food and wonderful company. Ragnar cooked my trout for me and I ate that along with some of the best sea food imaginable.

It was late when we left to head back to Gry's home by the fjord.

I cannot thank people enough for their kindness and support and for their hospitality during the days spent in Larvik after the show. Gry and Thea ( Gry's lovely daughter) were the perfect hosts and I have never felt more welcome than at this time in Norway. Thanks to Kjeld Willy, Manon and to Per and all for their input and kindness. I will come back to see your studio Kjeld.

Norway is a beautiful largely unspoiled country and it's people are special. I have always felt a connection with them and this trip has increased my love of the place and the people I meet there.

As the plane lifted off I knew I would miss the good people of Kristiansand and Larvik for some days to come but I knew that a return trip would be inevitable. As I write this an email comes from Alta in the north of Norway to invite me to play there in July.

Life is good.

peace

geoff's birthday bash

thornhill lodge guesthouse

Geoff Carminke picked me up from the station in Derby after a train journey through the most changeable weather I have seen for some time. The view through sun lit rain and dark, threatening, thunder clouds was very impressive, especially from the inside looking out of the train.

We soon arrived at Geoff and Rea's guest house which happens to be one of the nicest places I have ever stayed in. If you are ever in the area and need a room go straight here. You will not be disappointed. Geoff and Rea have worked hard to make this place what it is and the welcome is second to none. So that is my very sincere testimonial for the place now on with the show.

mike, rea, yours truly, geoff and kev 

I stayed over night before the gig and had a splendid sleep and an equally welcome breakfast. Soon after I went out into the garden to watch the preparations for the festivities later on. Geoff has a band called STAIRWAY. It is a three piece featuring Geoff on guitar, Kev Ball on bass and Mike "Ringo" Epling on drums and he does have a touch of the early Ringo about his style, cool!

Geoff has a stage area in his garden and for the occasion, a Stars and Stripes flag with an overlaid skull and crossbones. No doubt the pirate emblem saved the scenario for me lol! I 'aint gonna play in front of that flag at any price.

Geoff has some lovely guitars and we talked equipment for a while as it all came together. Tea was plentiful and the vibes were lovely as some guests began to arrive. They were a mix of old and young from all over. I get to play to the whole generational set these days and happily, the grand children feature more and more. The weather continued to rant and rage in periods of blustery rain with storm clouds looming and then abating every twenty minutes or so. The sun came out to dry every thing and this was followed by another soaking time and time again.

Eventually John arrived from Wigan and we watched the first set from STAIRWAY. I loved the slightly self concious way the lads eased into their set. Soon they were knocking it out nicely with an eclectic mix of covers. They are a good bit better than I believe, they think they are. They should definitely play out if they want to and I think Geoff does. Next me and the sky cleared a little. ( I know. Some times I underestimate my powers lol!) But, it wasn't long before the rain poured down again. I carried on and, perhaps strangely, part of me revelled in the slight spray in my face and the wind seemed an appropriate accompaniment during some of the songs.

The guys played another cracking set, better than the first, and we all retired indoors for a warm up and a stunning array of refreshments. The centre piece of the tables laden with goodies was a home made cake in the shape of a guitar. I loved the "Fender blue colour". I always fancied a guitar that colour.

fender cakeocaster

The rain came down in sheets and so I played another set, repeating some songs played earlier, inside the house. I enjoyed that set most because there were no weather distractions and I could tell a story or two. I can only say, as I often do regarding FDPFAFDW audiences, they were lovely, warm and attentive. They are always from the widest back grounds with great stories to tell me about their lives and we almost always have a great deal in common. John and I had a great time and Geoff and Rea's hospitality was as warm as it gets. Power to them and all of their people! On a rough day I ask myself why do I do this? On days like these I know.

John and I drove back to his place through the darkness with the sound of Geoff's band pumping out through the stereo. We sat up very late discussing plans for the future and on Sunday we had a chill day and a meal with friends in the local pub. Think I found me a an organist in the perhaps unlikely guise of a man who plays church organs locally. Well I am hoping he might be able to play an accompaniment to a song I am writing for the show in the church. After a meet with the vicar, a lovely serene woman and the local publican and his wife, we hope we will get the okay for our Autumn special. Working title OUR DAILY BREAD. This is to be the charity concert for homeless folk I have mentioned before and might be a model for other similar community initiatives. The church interior is fabulous and kept in pristine condition. I hope we can go ahead with things, with this church, as the venue.

There was a great deal to think about on the train back from Wigan and as it pulled into Euston London I must admit to having a well satisfied feeling that the weekends aims and objectives were nailed.

On Sunday I will be meeting up with Steve and Art for another jam session. I am quite excited about this and really looking forward to seeing the guys. After that I shall be Norway bound 

peace

off to Geoff and Rea's

mr bradshaw at the wheel

Well I am off on my travels again. I'm off tomorrow to play for Geoff's birthday on Saturday in Derby. It should be really good 'un. Geoff and Rea run a guest house and apparently, I will be staying in The Wasa Wasa suite. Cool!
Geoff has a three piece rock outfit and lot's of lovely muso gear for me to peruse and possibly use. I hope the weather holds. I will always remember the fair days pay gig in the Lake District. It poured the whole time but still we had a great time. That was one of my high light gigs. After the gig, on Saturday night, Mr Bradshaw my tour manager is coming to collect me at about 1 am. We will drive to Wigan for meetings with all concerned, on Monday, around our concert for the local homeless folk in a Wigan church, later in the year. I want it to be very special.

I had a very nice time with Steve and Art a couple of weeks ago. A nice social and jam session. Very laid back just rolling around bits and pieces and just seeing what came out. I liked it. It reminded me of the earliest days when we played just because it made us feel good. In my case it didn't always make me feel good but it usually made me feel better. After years of getting together to fulfil an obligation, gigs to played or a recording to be made etc, it is very good to play music for pure pleasure, with out restraint or any commitments. I was never very fond of rehearsing at the stage where it is necessary to polish parts of an arrangement over and over again though I like the results. I want what I do to have a similar free styled frame work that we had when I started playing in a band. This why I love the freedom of solo gigs but, I miss the noise. Any way Steve, Art and me are going to do it again in a week or two.

I'm off to Norway for a couple of gigs towards the end of the month for Elisabeth at her cafe/bar called Kulturbua in Kristiansand on the 23rd May and next a FDPFAFDW gig for Gry and members of the Rock Club in Larvik. After that four or five days of chilling, sight seeing and fishing in the Larvik area.

Ok so this next idea is a slightly new departure for me but one I would like to explore further. I recently had a FDPFAFDW enquiry for some one who has been a long time fan and who is ill. This came from some one who is also a fan and some one who obviously has a deep attachment to the person on whose behalf, they contacted me. Neither has income enough to pay me one days worth of it. So what do I do? I play the gig that is what I do! That gig is a surprise gig so I'll say no more.
This got me thinking that I have time and some resources, including friends and associates who can assist me, so if you know of some one who really deserves a freebie email me and we'll consider it. I cannot promise to give a yes to every one but I will try. 

It is time to pack the last bits of gear for the next days adventures so I'll get on with that and get back to you later.



peace 

you deserve it!

Some one once said “ It doesn’t matter what they write about you as long as they spell your name right.”

Enjoy the fame Mr Cliffud. You deserve it!

p.s. I removed a comment from this post due to legal reasons. The person named in the comment is facing trial and in view of that the comment was deemed inappropriate.

Athens and other things

underground car park revisited

It seems ages ago when I set off for two nights at the Drug Store in Athens. I had the beginnings of a cold and was feeling a bit rough. Thankfully getting there was easy with out major hassle and so it began. Since I was last in Athens, fourteen months ago, the increasing decline is clear to see. The streets are dirty and covered in graffiti. many of the food shops have little to offer. Looking out of my hotel room on the first night didn't add much to my Athens experience though to be fair the promoter fixed me up with a room with a balcony next morning.

a room with a view

In most shops there is always good bread and plenty of pasties filled with a strange cheese. This reminded me of being in East Berlin before the wall came down. There I saw a shop with a pyramid of tinned tomatoes in the window. There would be a queue outside the door for those tins the next day, at the crack of dawn.

The sound check at the club went well. I love the simplicity of solo gigs.It was clear the numbers were down on the first night compared to the previous trip and so it was on the second night. I was concerned and still I put my best into it all. I played long and with passion. The audience deserved it. Kind and gracious as ever, the people I met at The Drug Store were  a treat. I chatted with the owner about it all. I asked him what he thought about the the different attendance, especially as the previous gigs were so jumping and cool. He said it was "The Crisis". No one has the money they had a year or so ago, except for the rich. I noticed the cocktails were no longer available and other significant changes. I could see how the ethos and style of this venue might be changed to better serve the interests of it's clientele and relate more closely to the circumstances of the times. How ever, adapting can be difficult when your dreams and years of work are already invested in one path.
I feel for the Greek people who have little responsibility for their circumstances and I hope things improve significantly and soon. It is clear there is an underclass of people for whom there seems to be little or no safety net and services for the vulnerable and disposessed are minimal.

The cold I had persisted and I virtually lost my hearing in my left ear. I was a little concerned for a while but it has cleared. Any way this put music making on hold for the past couple of weeks or so. Every time I sang it was a though I had a monitor earpiece in my left ear and it was loud. All good now though.

I have a few FDPFAFDW gigs coming up. One is for Geoff's 60th birthday in May and another must remain a total secret until the day. So there! In terms of public gigs and in case any one hadn't noticed, venues are finding it real hard right now and gigs are getting thinner on the ground. I can honestly say it is cool with me. I finally get to play only the shows people really want me to be at. I'll do almost any thing but I just don't feel like hustling any one to book me. It is a very nice feeling and it means I can do what I really want. 

Bradders has been hard at work from our northern headquarters ( tee hee!). He has secured a church venue for our special charity show later in the year. With a bit of luck and a lot of hard work this will be the model for a series of co op style gigs involving local people in a local good cause. A kind of Fair days pay (for community) for a fair days work. All good then and some thing we have been working towards for over a year.

It is nice being touched by the first warm fingers of the Spring sunshine. I no longer venture out on the bike in the rain and wind unless I can't avoid it but I am looking to turning the pedals any day now. I know Ramblin' is straining on the leash to get me out with him. He's building my new super pc with solid state drive and other fancy, modern stuff. He reckons this machine will be so cool upgrading will not be an issue for years, if ever.
I have never had the tools I have now and it is making every thing so much easier. The Mac book is filling up with the pre production material for a new album. I am spending inordinate amounts of time honing my video editing skills and looking forward to completing some of the many projects spread across the Mac and new PC.
I recently purchased a zoom G5 pedal board for my electric guitar work and having had a short time with it so far I am blown away by it's versatility.

I must admit I have been immersed in new technology and new music making and so this blog has been neglected for a while. I expect I will be more on the case over the next weeks and I will making changes to the website.
It looks like I will be going with Steve and Art to the Friars Exhibition at The Aylesbury Museum to give a question and answer session some time soon. 

the 62 stratocaster exhibited

The three of us are getting together on Sunday for a social and a little jam session.
The hibernation is over. It is time to be out in the world and for me, I think lots of fresh air and exercise will be the mantra for the coming summer.


peace

old guitar and "evening over rooftops x 2"

my 1962 fender 

Last week two people came from Buckinghamshire County Museum to collect my 1962 Fender Stratocaster. It is to be part of an exhibition at the museum around the wonderful history of Friars in Aylesbury.

This is the guitar I wrote about in an earlier post. It is the guitar Eric Clapton played at a jam after Implosion at The Roundhouse Chalk Farm and Syd Barrett played when he had a little jam with The Pink Floyd at All Saints  in Nottinghill Gate. 

Friars was one of THE clubs to play back when were in the early days of the Edgar Broughton Band's career. There were about four or five clubs in the whole of the UK that were top venues and many of the others were cracking gigs to play but, some stood out from the crowd just like we did. We loved playing at Friars. Back in 2009 the EBB played the Friars Aylesbury 40th Anniversary and we rocked it. The band was presented with one of the Friars heroes awards. It was a great evening and brought back very happy if slightly blurry memories.

yours truly at Friars 1969 with the beast 62 strat

So if you are in the Aylesbury area and want to drool in front of the beast and get to see some thing of rock n roll history at Friars then I am sure the exhibition will be your thing. The exhibition runs from March 1st to July 5th.                           

Evening Over Rooftops x 2 is the title given to my upcoming shows next week at THE DRUGSTORE in Athens by Spilios the club owner. Last years shows were an absolute delight for me on many levels and I had the pleasure to play for one of the most knowledgable and appreciative audiences ever. I played all kinds of bits and pieces old and new that I have never played before or since. So I am working on how to top that second time around. It should be fun.

I was sitting relaxing with a guitar last night after finishing the lyric to a new song called On The News. I started messing around with a bluesy groove and slowly a blues song I call I HATE THE GOLDEN DAWN emerged. It is a work in progress but it will be right on the nail, on the night.  

The Golden Dawn is a very dangerous fascist community in Greece. Unfortunately they have grown tentacles through all levels of Greek society. They have been curtailed to some extent after they murdered immigrants in the street and murdered a well known Greek musician who had publicly opposed them. Their list of crimes is long.

I hate The Golden Dawn

If I was a cleaning lady working for my bread

I would see what has been lost

I would see what lies ahead

I would see my flag is torn

and I would hate

I would hate

I hate 

The Golden Dawn

If I was a roaming gypsy looking for a home

I would see what has been spoiled

I'd see it cut me to the bone

I would see my flag is torn

and I would hate

I would hate

I hate

The Golden Dawn

If I was a man of colour trying to be safe

I would see what has been broken

I'd see what cannot be replaced

I would see my flag is torn

and I would hate

I would hate

I hate

The Golden Dawn 

peace