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Menu Hors d’oeuvre: Gary Rudd Main Course: Mike Steele, Richard Bircumshaw, Jason Green Emer O’Neill, The Shantymen with Steve Lealand Bob “Easy Reid” Dessert: Gary Rudd (Reprise)
So happily we’re back for another Tuesday Night Chill. However the bad news is that dear Andrea has seriously injured her back so she’s asked her good friend Gary to take over the reins. As we know, Gary has a penchant for football, so he sets us on our way with his own composition, dedicated to David Beckham, fittingly entitled “Golden Balls”. Gary then treats us to a fine cover of Neil Young’s “Heart Of Gold”. The equally affable and talented Mike Steele is up next. Mike has noticed that our Tuesday Night Chill Crowd love nothing more than a sing-along so he begins with a delightful rendition of “Save The Last Dance For Me” Mike, of course, likes to throw in the odd curio. Tonight he chooses Merle Haggard and Jimmy Dickens’ “Shopping For Dresses”, and, not being averse to a bit of rock n’ roll, rounds off with a bopping cover of Carl Perkins’ “Restless”. Richard, whose finger picking style guitar playing has come on a whole bundle in the last year, often treats us to a song or two but tonight he plumps for three super instrumentals, all written by himself. Richards’s on top form tonight as he takes us through “Sisters”, Taylor’s Revenge” and “Rod’s Rag”. Jason, accompanied by Shanty Steve on bodrhan and Steve L. on snare, presents us with a brand new song, “Where Have You Been?”, which he follows with another of his own compositions, “A Better Day”.
For several weeks now a few music aficionados have been banging on incessantly about a charming young lady from Belfast, Emer O’ Neill, who is a very talented songwriter with a beautiful, expressive voice After an understandably tentative start at the JBOM a few weeks ago, her confidence has blossomed like a spring flower resulting in her projecting her voice to the full. No more than one verse into “Questions”, the audience are enthralled and she holds their attention with the spicy “Lucky Number 13” before taking us to the break with a gorgeous rendition of “Engraved In Bark”. Quite superb! The Shantymen open the second half with three instrumentals featuring John firstly on mamola, then on squeeze box and finally on melodeon before Shanty Steve finishes off with the crowd pleaser, “Barley Mow”. Easy’s up next with Sonny Boy Williamson’s “Help Me”. He follows up with his own “Blues Man” before rounding off with Fleetwood Mac’s “Looking For Somebody”.
That just leaves time for Gary to finish off the evening. He begins his second spot on mandolin for “So Long (I’ll See You On The Other Side)” .He then switches to guitar for an excellent version of Don McLean’s “American Pie before following with James Taylor’s “You’ve Got A Friend”, no doubt with Andrea very much in mind.
Andrea lies in all our hearts tonight but she will be well, well pleased – though hardly surprised – that Gary has stepped seamlessly into her shoes to steer us through another very enjoyable Tuesday night. |
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