RESURRECTION SHUFFLE  

There's a long and noble musical habit of taking old songs and breathing new life into them. Indeed, many acts today thrive on sprinkling covers into their live sets and audiences appear to love them too.

But what about songs that never made it beyond the printed page? Or songs that were merely scraps of lyrics written by an artist and then either discarded or lost in the mists of time? A new album puts this type of song revival firmly in the spotlight. Elvis Costello, Marcus Mumford (Mumford & Sons) and Jim James (My Morning Jacket) have teamed up with legendary producer T Bone Burnett to produce an album full of Bob Dylan songs that never saw the light of day. In the hands of lesser artists, this might simply end up being a barrel-scraping exercise, but I must admit that I am almost convinced of its worthiness.

The New Basement Tapes - Elvis Costello (Centre) and producer
T Bone Burnett (hands in air)

The songs - or rather, the lyrics - were amongst the horde of material that Dylan put together back in 1967 whilst he was working and living with The Band in various upstate New York locations. The quality and range of the creative output was astounding, although it wasn't until 1975 that a number of the finished songs saw the light of day on an official release, The Basement Tapes. A few had been subject to bootleg attention, but what seems now to be the case is that there were a good number of songs that didn't progress beyond the draft-lyric stage. It is these scraps of paper that have been given fresh life with new music and production by Burnett, Costello and company. The album - Lost On the River: The New Basement Tapes - features twenty tracks, many with typically idiosyncratic Dylan titles:

• 'Down on the Bottom'
• 'Married to My Hack'
• 'Kansas City'
• 'Spanish Mary'
• 'Liberty Street'
• 'Nothing to It'
• 'Golden Tom – Silver Judas'
• 'When I Get My Hands on You'
• 'Duncan and Jimmy'
• 'Florida Key'
• 'Hidee Hidee Ho #11'
• 'Lost On The River #12'
• 'Stranger'
• 'Card Shark'
• 'Quick Like A Flash'
• 'Hidee Hidee Ho #16'
• 'Diamond Ring'
• 'The Whistle Is Blowing'
• 'Six Months in Kansas City (Liberty Street)'
• 'Lost on the River #20'

The whole project has taken some years to come together and such has been the cachet attached to the work that Johnny Depp and documentary film-maker Sam Jones have also got involved. A short "making of film" accompanies the album and the whole package is set for release in November no doubt in anticipation of the lucrative festive market. 

Listen: The New Basement Tapes - Nothing To It

Mermaid Avenue - New music to old
lyrics by Woody Guthrie

But, such  work is far from unknown and two other notable projects include a loose connection to Bob Dylan. Firstly, back in 1998, Billy Bragg teamed up with US indie band Wilco to breathe life into some unheard lyrics written by Woody Guthrie prior to his death in 1967. Guthrie - of course - was a huge influence on Bob Dylan and such was the interest in the Bragg/Wilco album (Mermaid Avenue) that a second set of songs was released a couple of years later. No less a publication than American Songwriter magazine said at the time "The Mermaid Avenue project is essential for showing that Woody Guthrie could illuminate what was going on inside of him as well as he could detail the plight of his fellow man."

Woody Guthrie - 1950s

Listen: Mermaid Avenue - California Stars

Thea Gilmore: New music to unheard
Sandy Denny lyrics

The second - and very interesting work was produced as recently as 2011 by singer-songwriter Thea Gilmore. She had been a great fan of the much-missed Sandy Denny, a wonderful artist who with Fairport Convention and later as a solo performer brought something distinctive and unique to the craft of songwriting. She died at just 31 back in 1978 and in recent years, her estate discovered a sheaf of hand-written song-lyrics. They believed they were deserving of a wider audience and made contract with Gilmore to provide music to match the lyrics. Gilmore even wrote one of her own songs in the style of the rest and it stands up very well indeed. The resultant album - Don't Stop Singing - proved to be both critically well received and popular. An extensive tour followed and there was much TV and radio coverage - including a televised live concert. And the Dylan connection? Sandy Denny was an adept performer of many of his songs - and particularly a couple which appeared on the original Basement Tapes release in 1975.

Sandy Denny (1947-1978)
Influential singer-songwriter - only in recent years truly getting
the recognition that she deserves.

Listen: Don't Stop Singing - Georgia

So, there is a "life after death" for unheard songs and I'd recommend these three releases as being worthy of your attention.

Alan Dorey

20th August 2014

THE GRASS ROOTS OF LIVE MUSIC

Despite the decline in the number of music venues across the country (see an earlier blog right here: Last Call For Live Music), I remain impressed by the number of bands and artists out there who work hard at keeping the scene going.

I'm not talking about cabaret bands or wannabee TV stars, but the keen and enthusiastic range of acts determined to be both creative and entertaining. These are acts who mix their own songs with a wise selection of covers, acts for whom musicianship and skill is as important as the performance - and, let's be honest, acts who are often more accomplished and honest than many who have somehow achieved chart success.  

Portsmouth band Bemis playing live at The Mayford Arms, Woking, Surrey.
Front man Gareth Howells in full flow, Dan Ogus watching

Often gigging at a moment's notice in some back-street dive - or bundling instruments and gear into a van to head off to some distant part of the county - the economics of survival is a precarious one. Hard working bands who deliver the goods - and have members who can make time to get to gigs, attend rehearsals and deal with all the other peripheral stuff - are rare indeed. And it's no wonder that line-ups change, people fall out through "musical differences" ("we were musical - he was *different*") and the impetus may stutter from time to time. But, through all of this - and throw in venues with indifferent crowds who prefer to talk loudly rather than pay attention -  it's pleasing to see a goodly number of stalwart acts who plough onwards and, in their own way, achieve a level of consistency and success. I've mentioned the always excellent Lizzards down in Bournemouth previously (and in times gone by, I could have added Ringwood's Black Bart and many others) - but quite by coincidence a band I first saw in 2009 happened to be playing the other night at a pub venue less than a mile from where I was visiting family over in Surrey. As our American friends have said so often, it was a no-brainer and thus it was off down to The Mayford Arms in Woking, an edge-of-town venue that I'd first been to over twenty years back. Run by a music-savvy landlord, it was clear that the focus would be on the band rather than the need to push people through the restaurant or to cater for the darts team or those wanting to play pool. Music was the purpose of the evening - and the band? Bemis, a Portsmouth based outfit fronted by Gareth Howells.

Psychedelic Man - Gareth Howells (right) and
Dan Ogus (left)

When I first saw Bemis, they were a pretty good harmony duo - all folk and folk-rock with a bit of a feel of Simon & Garfunkel about them, albeit, unafraid to throw in edgier and more raucous material when the moment presented itself. Today, they're a five-piece indie rock band - and Gareth is the only member of the original line-up still with them. But as he's the front man, lyricist, lead singer and a fine rhythm guitarist, it's not hard to see that he's the driving force to keeping the show on the road.But even the best laid plans come adrift in the world of gigging and playing and tonight, they were sans drummer (Nathan Shervill) who was apparently "lost" somewhere in Europe. And this is the stuff  you never see on TV shows, in talent fests  and all the rest, the day-to-day trials and challenges of keeping everything going. So on this Saturday night, four members - all playing guitars - lead, rhythm, bass and in Dan Ogus, a multi-instrumentalist who was playing acoustic guitar.

The band were fresh from having played at Guilfest, one of the larger regional festivals, and the following day they were off to Southsea for another event, underlining again the need to travel, be flexible and grab opportunities whenever they present themselves. A few hardened fans made it up from Portsmouth and environs, others drifted in from the local area and a decent audience was in the offing. This isn't a review of  Bemis themselves - although there will be elements of that - but more a look at this sort of musical microcosm that's repeated across the country. Bemis have done this quite a few times, although this line-up has only been in place since January and it was interesting to see the careful and studied glances they gave each other at certain points during the first set. They'd had precious little time to set-up and get the sound-mix right, they'd have to cope without a drummer and the odd L-shape of the main bar made it difficult  for most punters to get a clear view. Oh, and the toilets were located either side of the make-shift stage which meant fans and non-fans alike had to criss-cross the sight-lines on a regular basis.

Dan Ogus in full flight

That first set , a mix of covers and several fine originals, took a while to take off. Individually,  members were doing their thing, but it didn't  always gel as a tight band. Gareth's in between songs banter was a bit lost in a fairly muddy sounding PA - but, there was no lacking of desire, no lacking of enthusiasm and skill and, slowly, it all, started coming right. Covers were often treated to different arrangements and treatment (which is always good) and in Mark Finn, they have a highly talented and effective lead guitarist. He did have an awkward spot at the back corner of the stage and his unassuming nature led him to almost hide his skills away behind the others. But his studied playing - unassuming and subtle at times, driving and forceful at others - provided an excellent focus to several numbers, including a good work out on Neil Young's Rockin' In The Free World. 

Bassist Mike Rogers
On acoustic guitar
- and vocals too

Bassist Mike Rogers was also an intriguing player, full of contrasts. His playing was simple and effective, no fripperies or awkward runs - and he also sang lead on a couple of numbers. Indeed, with three effective vocalist on display, there was a fine display of harmonies, variety in tone and and intensity. Dan Ogus - mainly on acoustic guitar - in particular looked the part and added some welcome vocal diversions.

After the break, the sound somehow seemed to have resolved itself, the band sounded tighter and more together and the choice of songs upped the tempo. More covers than originals - although they more than held their own in the mix - and some definite crowd-pleasers which got vocal additions from some and lively dancing from others. That great Band number The Weight went down really well - as did Werewolves of London, the encore piece and fascinatingly seeing some clever additions to Warren Zevon's original lyrics. Gareth didn't only list Lon Chaney Junior as someone who had played a werewolf in a Hollywood movie - but also, other actors who had done likewise. And it was both noticed and appreciated.

So, if this isn't a review, what is it?

Bemis - Mark Finn, Dan Ogus, Gareth Howells, Mike Rogers

As I noted earlier, it's a microcosm of gigs repeated up and down the land. Good musicians delivering the goods in a small venue, winning the audience over and providing fine entertainment with an eclectic and careful choice of material. It's how bands start out, how some make a living, others using it as stepping stone to bigger things - and importantly, the sort of thing that punters and pubs should actively support if we want quality live music to survive into the future. There isn't anything quite like being up close to the action, being part of an event rather than a mere participant miles away from a distant stage. There's an immediacy, a cohesive feel that rocks around the venue, a chance to admire and enjoy as much as laugh along with humour and honest errors too. It's not perfect, it's not antiseptic and precise, but it is lively and hot, varied and exciting - and in the case of this gig, seemingly over far too quickly.

The true grass roots of music - and something to be admired and promoted whenever the chance arises.

Alan Dorey

5th August 2014

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