MELANIE SAFKA

 

Monday 20^th May 2008

I've not been doing a very good job lately of keeping up with my blog entries, but I have been keeping busy – playing lots of gigs, writing new songs and recording some stuff – so I hope you will forgive me.

Right now I am over in Denmark, two-thirds of  the way through the tour and having a great time.

A few months ago, well after this tour had been arranged, I found out that Melanie Safka was playing a gig in Pontardawe, about 4 miles from where I live.  I was totally gutted!  I've been a fan of Melanie's since the 60s and never actually got the chance to see her perform live, so to find out that she was playing on my home ground and I was going to be in another country was a bit of a blow.  What was I going to do?  I decided to check the tour dates to find out if she was going to still be in the UK when I got back – no luck there, but then I discovered that she was playing in Wolverhampton, in England, on Sunday 18^th May.  Sunday 18^th May was one of only three nights that I have off on this current tour.  It seemed like a crazy idea but it just had to be done.  I bought the tickets, booked a flight from Copenhagen to London Stansted for the morning of the 18^th, booked a hire car to drive the 140 miles to Wolverhampton then booked another flight back to Copenhagen to be back in time to play my own gig on the Monday night.  Martin Dale, thinking that it was an idea just too crazy to miss out on, decided to join me and so we set off on our trip after a couple of hours sleep following our gigs on Saturday night.

We got into Stansted, picked up the hire car and set off for Wolverhampton, only to find that the M6 motorway because of an accident and we had to find some kind of diversion without any maps in the car.  Somehow we managed it and went to visit Bebee and Tina where we were joined by Ed Case and spent the afternoon jamming in Bebee's kitchen – this is the life.  After a couple of hours of indulgent fun we made our way to the Wulfrun Hall for the concert.

Was it worth it?  Too f******g right it was worth it.  Melanie was absolutely fantastic.

The house lights went down and Melanie walked on to the stage.  When she was in her 20s, Melanie was absolutely stunning and now 40 years later she still lit up the stage with her smile.  She introduced her son, Beau Jarred Schekeryk, who played a solo set of classical/flamenco guitar music.  It is so obvious that Beau is a child of hippy parents, as he played and talked it felt like you could have been sitting around your own house on cushions while he just enthused about the music and showed what he could do.  Beau is a brilliant guitarist who if he has any ego at all manages to keep it hidden well below the surface. 

After Beau's short 20 minute set and a brief interval, Melanie returned to the stage with her son for a spell-binding set which lasted for about an hour and 45 minutes, but which could easily have gone on for much longer – the time went all too quickly.  Melanie has always been a very natural person with a natural style of performance.  Like her son, she made you feel that you could have been sitting at home with a few friends while she asked you what you wanted to hear.  Many of the classics were there, Beautiful People, Babe Rainbow, Peace Will Come, Carolina In My Mind, a fantastic version of The Saddest Thing, People In The Front Row, Look What They've Done To My Song, together with some newer material including Smile and the brilliant Jammin' Alone.  After a standing ovation Melanie finished off the night with the classic Ruby Tuesday.

Melanie's voice is still incredibly strong and she still has that amazing charisma that makes you think that it is all personal, that it doesn't matter if there are 1000 people in the audience or just 1.  And just to prove it, after the show she came out front to meet people and sign CDs and when there were only about two dozen people left she broke into an impromptu a capella version of Lay Down – absolutely fantastic.

I've never made such a crazy trip for one concert before but I would gladly do it again and recommend a Melanie concert for anyone who wants to see a real legend and professional at work.

After the show, Martin and I went over to Ed "Case" Conway's house where he and Andrea had prepared beds for us for the night and enjoyed a couple of alcoholic beverages before hitting the sack. The next morning I was back on the road at 7.30 heading for the airport.  Got back to Martin's apartment with just enough time to get changed before going off to perform in Copenhagen. 

Knackered but Happy.

I've put a picture of Me with Melanie in the photos gallery.

 

SATURDAY’S GIG IN AALBORG IS NOT NOW HAPPENING - VENUE HAS BEEN CHANGED TO THE ENGLISH BAR IN FREDERICIA INSTEAD.

SORRY TO EVERYONE IN AALBORG BUT THIS WAS OUT OF MY CONTROL.

LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING NEW PEOPLE AT A NEW VENUE IN A NEW CITY.

There’s  been a couple of changes to the dates in Denmark and there are still two to be confirmed on 11th & 12 April but other than that the ones that are on the site now should the final ones.  It’s always best to keep a check though.

Happy St Patrick’s week-end everyone and good luck to the Welsh Rugby team tomorrow.

Jim

When the (original venue) folded on the very basis that we were accused (quite wrongly) of paying a cover band against the principles that were set when we started the amateur enterprise in June 2007, I made it clear that nobody could be paid at The new venue apart for travelling expenses and that was the take it or leave it choice. The budget that I currently have to run the  Sessions is less than £50.


2. From me
You say that the budget you currently have to run the gigs l is less than fifty pounds. If that is the case you should stop running them now. The owners/management of that establishment are taking the p***. They are getting three acts per night, each of those acts will be bringing in a number of their friends/fans who will all be spending money at the bar while the musicians (the reason the bar is taking extra money) are getting sweet FA. Venues like that should be black-listed by the Musicians Union and it's members. They are exploiting the talents of those who deserve to be treated with more respect.

You say that local musicians in your areadeserve more than just pub outlets but this  is just another pub outlet - the only difference is they are getting it for peanuts whilst other pubs in in the area,  are paying decent money and the owners there do more to promote live music in a way that is not background pub entertainment but is an actual show, than most pubs in the whole of Britain. If you really want to help local musicians find something that isn't just another pub outlet, book a venue where you can have a private room and charge people to come in. That way the people who come will be those who want to listen to the music and the artists can take a share of the door takings. Hold a raffle at each gig to boost the funds, a bit like the old folk-clubs used to do (and still do in some cases). You say it makes you feel like you want to wind it up - my advice to you then is to wind it up, certainly at the venue you are now at who are just cashing in on your enthusiasm fo music, and set something else up which shows appreciation in a practical way. You won't find any of the bar staff at these places working for free!

Again, I want to stress that in no way am I accusing you of ripping me or anyone else off. In fact I think you are one of those who are being ripped off. I think your intentions are good, but you are being used to boost the profits of the venue, and in turn the musicians that you are trying to help are being used.

The more venues get cheap/free entertainment, the more decent paying venues are going to decide to call it a day. Why should they pay out hundreds of pounds when the pub next door is only paying £50 for three acts?

It is also the responsibility of promoters and musicians to have nothing to do with these venues.

An open-mic night should be a place for new talent to have the opportunity to sing 2 or 3 songs and no more, in order to show what they can do and to gain performance experience and hopefully impress the venue that they are offered a proper booking there.

The Uplands Tavern, in Swansea is a venue that holds both an acoustic open-mic night and a new bands night. Many people who have played at these sessions and have shown that they have talent have gone on to be booked for a regular music night and have been paid the same rate that every other pro act gets there. This is how it should be done.

If the open mic night is just an excuse to get a nights worth of entertainment and draw people into the bar to spend their money and that is all there is to it they should be boycotted by any promoter, musician and music loving punter.

SLAGELSE, FRIDAY 13^TH, SPANISH VEGETABLE PICKERS AND SOME REAL VIKINGS

 

15^TH JULY

 

Whilst setting up for the first of the two gigs in Slagelse I discovered that my wireless microphone had decided to die.  Luckily I always carry a spare wired mic with me so was able to do the gig with no real problem, it's just that I feel so restricted if I am stuck behind a microphone stand.  The wireless headset gives so much freedom and makes it easy to interact with the audience..

 

Having said that the audience on the first night were great, including a whole bunch of Spanish girls who were working on a local farm picking vegetables for the summer and with scarred hands to prove it.  They were out to party and had a really good time.

 

In the morning I went out and found the local music shop who were able to sell me a new wireless microphone system and a very good price.  I spent quite a lot of time in the shop talking to the owner and trying out various pieces of equipment and musical instruments.

 

Having nothing to do for the rest of the day until the show in the evening I got in the car and drove around and discovered a Viking festival being held on the site of an old Viking village.  This was a two week event of re-enactment and a Viking market.  Again I felt really at home and spent a lot of time talking to the traders and re-enactors.  There were some fantastic displays of Viking jewellery, weaponry and clothing as well as some pretty good displays of fighting skills and horsemanship.

 

The evening gig was so much better on the second night, as I was able to move around the stage and into the audience with my new wireless microphone – money well spent and tax-deductible too.  The Spanish girls returned and the staff were really nice to me having got to know me a bit better.  It had been over a year since I last played at the Upper Hill and most of the staff were new.  Particularly nice was Mia, who had looked after me with drinks the first night.  She turned out to be a Johnny Cash song so I was able to dedicate a couple of numbers to her.

 

Sunday was a day off and I went back down to the Viking festival to spend some money.  I got a traditional Viking long-bow and some arrows, I've been wanting to do some archery for a long time but wasn't interested in modern stuff with all the gadgetry and sights that they use, so now I have to find some space when I get home so that I can go out and shoot my long-bow.

 

After spending a couple of hours there I drove over to Helsingor where I will be staying in Martin's place for a week or so.  Martin is off touring in other parts of  Denmark at the moment so I have the place to myself.  It's so good to have somewhere to relax and feel at home when you are so far away from your actual home.

 

An early night (you have to take them when you can) and then ready for the gigs at the Irish Rover in Copenhagen starting tomorrow.

 

VIKING GRAVES, OLD FRIENDS AND NO MORE FISHERMAN SHOTS

 

13^TH JULY

 

Ian and I drove down toward Aalborg for our next gig, stopping off on the way to take in some culture.  We called in to Lindholm where the remains of a massive Viking burial ground has been preserved.  Although I have always thought of myself as a Celt I find that the more contact I have with Viking history and culture, the more at home I feel with it.  It is as if there is some deep hidden memory of a Viking past that stirs whenever I come close to related places and things.  Lindholm is an impressive sight with its 700 or so graves, most of which are marked by stones placed in the form of a triangle, an oval or a ship. The dead person was usually cremated. This is the reason that only a few things are found in the graves, things such as weapons, earthenware vessels, whorls, whetstones, buckles, pearls, arm-rings and rivets. The different shapes on the graves tell us the sex of the person who was buried there. Female graves were often marked with an oval or a square of stones. Male graves were marked with a ship or a triangle of stones. We can tell this from the things that were found in the graves. For example, pearls, combs and toilet articles were found in the female graves and weapons, buckles and rivets in the male graves.

 

The Vikings believed there was another world that people went to after they died and left this one. This is why they buried people with various things which they thought might be useful to them in the next world. They believed that when a person was cremated, he or she would get to that next world faster.

 

The gig at Aalborg was another belter.  I really do like playing in this city and at this venue.  It was the first time that Ian and I had worked there together and it went really well.  It was particularly to meet up with old friends like Bente, who was dressed up ready to go to the premier of the new Harry Potter film, complete with Hogwarts school uniform.  Stuart was there as always and it is always good to catch up with him.  Also good to see Nicola, the wee Scots lass who used to work in The Wharf in Aalborg but has now established herself behind the Bar at the John Bull.  It was equally good to meet up with new friends including Bente's mother and also with Mitzi who it was a pleasure to meet.

 

The Fisherman song went down particularly well – perhaps too well as we soon managed to drink the pub dry of the wonderful stuff.  It was replaced though by the much more liquorice flavoured Ga Jol which is pronounced something like gay-hole – don't think we need to dwell on that one too much.

 

After the show we managed to resist temptation (at 4 o'clock in the morning) to continue drinking with Nicola and Hugh in another part of town and headed back to the apartment for a couple of hours sleep.

 

In the morning (that's the same morning, only later) We drove down to the island of Fyn where I dropped Ian of in Odense before travelling on alone to Slagelse on Sjaelland for my gig there that night.  It was great working over here in Denmark with Ian for a few day, I just wish it had been longer – it's a privilege to work with the man and to have him as a friend.